Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro insists age is just a number as he looks to unleash Mohau Nkota against Stellenbosch at the Orlando Stadium on Sunday.
Kick-off is at 7:30pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)
CURRENT FORM
Nkota overcame a serious neck injury earlier this year to get promoted to the first team in the off-season and he has shone in the opening three months of the new campaign.
The 20-year-old winger opened his account with a match-winning brace against AmaZulu in the Betway Premiership on 25 October before bagging another double on his CAF Champions League debut as the Buccaneers beat CR Belouizdad 2-1 in Algiers on Tuesday.
Nkota is looking to follow in the footsteps of Relebohile Mofokeng, who enjoyed a breakout season with Pirates last term after helping them retain the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup trophies before going on to earn his first cap for Bafana Bafana.
The Sea Robbers were last in domestic action on 5 November when they edged Richards Bay 1-0 to maintain their 100 per cent record in the top flight and open up a three-point gap to Mamelodi Sundowns at the summit.
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Stellies also haven't featured in the league for almost a month since they played out to a 1-1 draw with TS Galaxy at Athlone Stadium on 6 November.
Steve Barker's side are now unbeaten in their last six matches, having kicked off proceedings with a disappointing 2-0m reverse to Golden Arrows on 25 September.
The Maroons find themselves just one point behind Polokwane City (3rd) in fourth place with a game in hand, although Chippa United (5th) are breathing down their necks a further point back.
WHAT WAS SAID
Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro
"From my point of view, I don't see the players as youngsters with inexperience or those with experience - but the key issue for me is whether a player is good or not good enough.
"The key thing for me is whether a player is ready or not - or is he convenient for the game or not. It is not about when he was born, whether he is 19, 20 or 30 years old.
"It does not make any difference, because when a player is ready, he is ready - and when he is talented, he is talented. People usually talk about the risks of playing a young player, but for me the risk is playing a player who is not ready.
"In our case, the boys are showing that they are ready and capable of surviving in different environments - and we are happy about that. They are also inspiring other youngsters in our structures to be ready, because age is not going to be a problem if they are ready."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Orlando Pirates - Mohau Nkota has already made seven appearances in all competitions for Bucs since being handed his debut as a second-half substitute against the Natal Rich Boys on 29 September.
The 20-year-old winger showed cool composure to open the scoring against CR Belouizdad after just five minutes and doubled the visitors' advantage with a long-range scorcher on 27 minutes.
Stellenbosch - Fawaaz Basadien has enjoyed a fine start to the campaign, impressing at both ends of the pitch to help the Cape Winelands outfit keep four clean sheets in the league, while contributing two goals.
He scored a contender for goal of the season with his audacious long-range effort from well inside his own half against Cape Town City and finished off a well-worked move to break the deadlock against the Rockets last time out.