Kaizer Chiefs may have started the 2025-26 campaign on a good note by winning three Betway Premiership matches on the trot, but in all honesty in all three matches they were neither tested nor played their best football.
Chiefs last won three matches in succession during the 2014-2015 season, which was also the last time they went on to win the league title.
The real test of character for Amakhosi comes as they host champions Mamelodi Sundowns at FNB Stadium on Wednesday night.
In Sundowns, Chiefs face a team they've lost a league double to on the last three seasons, and so a win for Chiefs may tell us something about what they can do this season.
Sundowns on the other hand are yet to hit the form or the winning style they're known for — but this is a match that could tell us if the Brazilians are capable of recovering that form.
If not, it could well be that we're witnessing a Sundowns that may face a serious challenge in defending a title they've made their own in the last eight seasons.
Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso admitted after their loss to Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 semifinal at the weekend that their preparation for the current season was hampered by their appearance at the Fifa Club World Cup in the US in June-July.
What Cardoso didn't want to entertain is the turmoil the club is going through with regard to the future of some of its stars, including last season's PSL Footballer of the Year Lucas Ribeiro, who has made it clear he wants a clearance to leave the 15-time PSL champions.
Pirates capitalised on that instability in the Sundowns camp when they knocked them out of the cup at the weekend, and now the question is whether Chiefs can do the same.
Chiefs skipper Inácio Miguel did all he could when talking to the media about the Sundowns clash on Monday to emphasise they're focusing on their own issues.
Indeed, Chiefs do have a couple of issues to address in their play.
While Amakhosi have looked better at the back and are yet to concede a goal in three matches, to say they have been tested would be stretching it.
In the first win (0-2) away from home against Stellenbosch FC they dominated possession (61%) and had five shots on target compared with Stellies' three.
It was only in that match against Stellies that Chiefs played against a team that showed some signs they also wanted to get something out of the game.
In the last two league matches at home against Polokwane City and Richards Bay, Chiefs faced two sides who were only worried about not conceding.
That Chiefs only won 1-0 in both matches showed they still struggled to break down stubborn defences — clubs defending with a low block — as their dominance on the ball and other areas couldn't net them more goals.
Against Sundowns, Chiefs will face a completely different team, one that will want to hoard the ball as they always do irrespective of whether they're playing at home or away. How Chiefs react to that will be interesting.
Chiefs did beat Sundowns 1-2 without dominating the ball last season in the semifinal of the Nedbank Cup.
In that match, Chiefs only had 36% of possession but what they were good at was not just creating more chances (three) to score, but they actually scored two goals.
Nasreddine Nabi, the Chiefs coach who will be on the bench for the first time this season after his return from family matters in Tunisia, may want to tweak his starting line up by a player or two since some of the new signings, including striker Flávio Silva, will be available.
Chiefs have particularly lacked a player with a decent knack to stay in and around the area and score goals. Nabi's assistant Cedric Kaze recently described Silva as the striker fitting what Chiefs lack.
“When there's crosses, you'll find him there. When there's a shot, you'll find him there for the rebounds.
“He has tremendous presence in the box,” Kaze said of the Portuguese-born striker who scored nine goals in 33 games for Persebaya Surabaya in Indonesia last season.
Sundowns' start to the season may not have been as perfect as Chiefs in terms of collecting maximum points, but one thing they've not lacked in their game is dominance.
In their unbeaten run of three matches against Chippa United (1-1), AmaZulu FC (2-0), Magesi FC (2-0), Sundowns had 70% or more of possession.
You'll expect Sundowns to maintain that trend unless Chiefs suddenly gain confidence in keeping the ball and think they can match their visitors pound for pound in their game.
A cagey affair could be on offer, but Chiefs will do well to use this game to prove to everyone their early form was not a fluke.
For Sundowns this is a match where they can start showing they can survive a season without Lucas Ribeiro, the Brazilian who gave them so much style, dynamism and creativity in attack in the last two seasons.
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