Golden Arrows and Marumo Gallants will look to overcome their recent run of losses when they do battle at the Princess Magogo Stadium in the DStv Premiership on Wednesday evening.
Kick off is at 7:30pm (SA, GMT+2)
Arrows go into the game against Gallants on the back of two consecutive defeats, namely against Orlando Pirates and Maritzburg United. Over the course of the last five league encounters, Arrows recorded two wins and three defeats.
As the home team, Abafana Bes’thende have won just three games on their own patch, one of which came in their last handful of DStv Premiership ties.
Lingering in the bottom half of the table, Arrows accumulated just 19 points in 17 games this season and are just two points adrift of the relegation playoff spot.
Speaking after their loss against the Team of Choice, Arrows co-coach Vusimuzi Vilakazi mentioned that concentration has been a problem this season but at the same time, expressed his delight at his side’s performance.
"Very disappointed, I mean we were playing at home, we could have won the game,” Vilakazi said.
"I think the one thing that needs attention, in terms of dealing with our psychological aspect from our players.
"We seem to lack concentration towards the dying minutes of the game. It's a room for us that we need to improve and make sure that we focus from the beginning until the end.
"I strongly feel that we played very well, we dominated the game, we created a lot of chances."
As for Gallants, Dan Malesela’s side are among the worst-performing teams in the DStv Premiership this season and currently occupy the last spot on the log.
Gallant’s recent form card does not make for good reading, recording three defeats and two stalemates over the course of the last five matches.
Also, the Limpopo side have won just one away game this season, with their last victory being jotted down in October 2022, where they claimed maximum points in a 1-0 win over TS Galaxy.
In reflecting on their 1-1 league draw against AmaZulu, Malesela mentioned that his side could have scored more goals, while he remains optimistic about the fixtures that lie ahead.
"If we had really pushed ourselves in the second-half, the way we were playing because we had AmaZulu under serious pressure, we probably would have gotten a goal,” Malesela said.
"We are always optimistic, where we are does not even begin to reflect how we played, that’s No 1. No 2, we are also aware that we shouldn’t let our position take over our thinking because of the difference of points.
"We will push in the next few matches, the next match is very important for us to try and gather three points, at least if we leave here, we have gotten four points, then we are going somewhere and see what we can get out of the Pirates match."
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Golden Arrows:
Knox Mutizwa:The experienced attacker will be tasked to occupy Gallants central defence, while his movement in the final third will summon Gallants to concentrate throughout the 90 minutes. Mutizwa has been a regular for Arrows this season and is expected to get the nod against Gallants.
Gladwin Shitolo:While Mutizwa leads the line in attack, Shitolo will guide his team from defensive positions. The PSL veteran’s ability to read the game will come in handy, especially against a busy Marumo front line.
Marumo Gallants:
Celimpilo Ngema:As the brains in midfield for Gallants, Ngema currently has two goals and two assists to his name this season. The Gallants number 10 could look to take the game to arrows and weave his magic through the lines.
Ranga Chivaviro:While Ngema pulls the strings in the middle of the park, Chivaviro will look to avail himself as the point of reference in attack. With three goals in nine games in the league, the 30-year-old will be keen to sniff out goal scoring opportunities in the Arrows defence.