Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro is calling for another high-intensity performance from his players when Royal AM arrive at the Orlando Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
Kick-off is at 5.30pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)
The Buccaneers have built up a head of steam going into the final month of the season as they look to secure a return to CAF Champions League football.
Riveiro's side reclaimed second place with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium on Sunday to make it six wins on the spin in the DStv Premiership.
Pirates are two points clear of SuperSport United with three matches left to play in the race for a top-two finish and Riveiro wants to keep the momentum going against Thwihli Thwahla.
The Spaniard has urged his troops to continue putting in the hard work after admitting their intensity dropped against the Rockets in the closing stages.
"The last 20 minutes we couldn't control the game the way we want, we were very exposed. We did a fantastic job in the defensive phase but too close to the goal," the Spaniard said.
"But overall I think it's a very good performance. We're playing a lot of games in a very high intensity and it's normal that sometimes during the 90 minutes we play a bit bad.
"But we appreciate a lot the victory, the sixth in a row, so all the credit to the players, the staff. We're working a lot and it's nice to continue collecting wins."
Royal AM dropped more points in their quest to qualify for the MTN 8 as they squandered the lead for the second game in succession to lose 2-1 to Cape Town City at the Chatsworth Stadium on Saturday.
It was their third defeat in five outings to leave John Maduka's team one point outside the top eight in ninth position, with Swallows having leapfrogged them in the standings after beating Kaizer Chiefs 2-1 on Monday.
Maduka conceded they were made to pay for a lapse in concentration against the Citizens and insists those mistakes cannot be repeated if Thwihli Thwahla want to finish in the top half of the table.
"I think we were in control of the game, [but] again a loss of concentration. We concede goals that we're not supposed to," he said.
"You must be able to stop the cross and if you're not able to stop the cross, you must be able to deal with the ball that is played into the box.
"So very disappointed with the result in a game that I think we were supposed to win but again a loss of concentration [and] we lost the three points."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Orlando Pirates
Terrence Dzvukamanja: The 28-year-old Zimbabwean striker has seized his chance in the new year after being left out of the squad during the first half of the season. Dzvukamanja opened the scoring against Galaxy with a deft header after just two minutes to register his sixth goal in 11 games.
Deon Hotto: The 32-year-old Namibian winger hasn't quite made the same impact for the Sea Robbers as last season, although he scored the winner with a close-range header against the Rockets to make it three goals in 25 appearances as he halted a 10-game barren spell in front of goal.
Royal AM
Mondle Mpoto: The 24-year-old goalkeeper was handed his first start since October against Matsatsantsa and didn't disappoint after producing a handful of good saves in the match. Mpoto could be in for a busy afternoon against Pirates but will be hoping to keep his second clean sheet of the season in Soweto.
Motebang Sera: The 28-year-old striker from Lesotho will be pushing for a recall to the starting line-up after a lively cameo against City. Sera should have equalised three minutes from time when he failed to hit the target with the goal gaping before forcing a superb save out of Darren Keet in stoppage time.