Arrows & Amakhosi target winning restart this weekend

After tasting defeat in their most recent Betway Premiership encounters, Golden Arrows and Kaizer Chiefs will hope to return to winning ways this weekend when they do battle at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Kick-off is at 3:30pm (CAT, GMT+2)

CURRENT FORM

Sitting in 10th place on the log, Arrows go into their next league assignment on the back of a 1-0 loss to Magesi, which happened to be coach Manqoba Mngqithi’s first defeat with the club.

Prior to their game against Magesi, Arrows recorded just one victory in their previous five league matches and last tasted victory on the 12th of March where they recorded a 1-0 result against Polokwane City at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.

As it stands, Chiefs occupy 8th position on the table after accumulating 29 points from 22 matches played so far.

The Soweto giants have likewise battled to yield positive results in the last couple of months after bagging one win, three losses and the single stalemate in their last five Betway Premiership fixtures.

WHAT WAS SAID

Reflecting on his side’s defeat against Magesi, Mngqithi expressed that referee Akhona Makalima played a big role in Abafana Bes’thende’s loss at the Seshego Stadium.

“I don’t think there’s much that can be done. If people commit blatant mistakes and they are not banned or suspended, what else can we do? Because we don’t want to lose the referees we have,” said Mngqithi.

“We don’t have many referees as well. And the ones who were here, I honestly trusted Akhona; I don’t want to lie. I know she’s capable of making honest mistakes, and I accept that, but the penalty foul on Knox opened my eyes because I thought that one was a blatant foul in front of her eyes. There was nothing that was impeding her from seeing clearly what happened.”

Over at Naturena, Chiefs midfielder Thabo Cele feels that the Glamour Boys owe their adoring supporters positive results.

“In these situations, talking is not something they [the fans] really need,” Cele said.

“We need our reaction inside the four corners. We need them despite our difficult moments. Without them it would become even more difficult. We need to show them that we need them.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Golden Arrows: Knox Mutizwa – As an experienced campaigner for Abafana Bes'thende, Mutizwa will most likely lead the line this weekend. While goals have been hard to come by of late, Mutizwa remains a threat in attack, given his ability to produce the spectacular.

Kaizer Chiefs: Thabo Cele – Despite Amakhosi’s troubles, the 28-year-old has been one of Amakhosi’s best players this season. Expected to get the nod against Arrows, Cele will be tasked to keep things ticking in the middle of the park as Chiefs look to tidy up their game during a crucial part of the campaign.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Last five league matches:

2022/23 Golden Arrows 0-2 Kaizer Chiefs

2022/23 Kaizer Chiefs 2-3 Golden Arrows

2023/24 Golden Arrows 2-1 Kaizer Chiefs

2023/24 Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 Golden Arrows

2024/25 Kaizer Chiefs 0-1 Golden Arrows