Former Orlando Pirates striker Bashin Mahlangu has tipped Relebohile Mofokeng and Oswin Appollis to be important for Pirates in the Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs on Sunday.
Both sides are high in confidence, coming off respective unbeaten six-match streaks with Pirates sitting in top spot on the log with 58 points in 25 outings, a point ahead of defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns who have a game in hand, and Chiefs are third with 46 points from 24 games.
Mofokeng and Appollis have been the stars of the show at the Buccaneers with 18 goals between them so far, with the Man of the Match accolade exchanging their hands in recent matches.
Mahlangu spoke to iDiski Times senior journalist Matshelane Mamabolo in edition 252 of the newspaper where he said the two have proved they can go the distance and shouldn’t be subbed.
“My former club, the key players have to be Mofokeng and Appollis,” Mahlangu told IDiski Times.
“Now those two are great players, and sometimes I wonder just why the coach would replace Appollis, that’s not a player you take off – him and Mofokeng.
“These are the kind of players who can look off throughout the match, but in a split second, they’re the kind who can make a difference with just a goal or an assist.”
The former forward added that he’s been impressed with how the fixture has been unpredictable recently saying he is expecting fireworks at the sold out FNB Stadium.
“You know the derby lately is very unpredictable because now the two teams are high up on the table, and come derby time, it will be a different story,” added Mahlangu.
“Sometimes it would seem as though you are watching a copy of the teams, and you are left wondering what happened with the teams that have been playing great football.
“But this time around, I expect fireworks because Pirates want to win the league, and Chiefs want to go and finish as high as they want to. We won’t have as one-sided a derby as we had in the first round.”
You can read Mahlangu’s full comments on the Soweto derby in edition 252 when you subscribe to IDiski Times media WhatsApp number for FREE.
