The protagonists of the last Philippine Cup Finals find themselves on a critical collision course as San Miguel and Meralco tangle on the road in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup at the Candon City Arena in Ilocos Sur on Saturday, Jan. 18.

With both teams entering the most crucial stretches of their eliminations campaign, the Beermen and the Bolts both vie for the much-needed victory in the 7:30 p.m. affair in hopes of boosting their respective playoff hopes.

San Miguel, which is currently in the danger zone at the eighth spot with a 4-4 record, is entering a loaded schedule where it is also set to face NorthPort, Converge and TNT – teams that are currently at the upper half of the standings – in a two-week span.

And that’s why it’s almost imperative for the wards of head coach Leo Austria to come out with the victory and move into the middle of the pack.

“We have to plan it and program ourselves because effort and energy are necessary in these kinds of games,” said Austria whose team is coming off a 85-78 win over Magnolia – all thanks to the late-game heroics of CJ Perez and Marcio Lassiter.

“A lot of teams are now stepping up and if you look at the standings, those teams na usually nasa bottom 6, on the top 6 na. Our schedule is really tough because those teams are at the top of the standings,” added the veteran mentor.

SMB, however, might have lost some momentum after suffering its fifth straight loss in the EASL with an 84-74 defeat at the hands of Eastern.

Like the Beermen, the Bolts are also bracing themselves for a tough stretch as, after the game against SMB, Meralco will still be playing and gunning for a Final Four spot in the EASL against Japan B.League’s Ryukyu before returning to the PBA to wrap up its eliminations schedule against Ginebra and Magnolia.

Head coach Luigi Trillo also warned his team of being complacent, noting that SMB’s record does not entirely reflect the quality of its crew.

“San Miguel is going through rough patches now but when push comes to shove they need every game. We just have to be ready,” said the two-time champion coach.

“Important for us is just what’s in front of us. Nothing’s gonna come easy right now. I think we’re at least in the playoffs but we want to get to the Top 6 first,” he added.