Orlando Pirates and Golden Arrows have announced their starting line-ups for today’s DStv Premiership clash at Mpumalanga Stadium.
Both teams are entering the clash in opposing form, with the hosts having lost five matches in a row. With four of those defeats coming in the league, Arrows have dropped from second into seventh place on the log.
Pirates, meanwhile, are unbeaten in five games, winning four of those. Their resurgence in form has seen them climb into fifth place and another win today could see them move into third place.
Pirates have dominated this fixture in recent years, and are unbeaten in their last four head-to-head clashes, with Arrows last win over the Buccaneers coming from February 2021.
Last season, Pirates beat Abafana Bes’thende 3-1 at home and 2-0 in KwaZulu-Natal, with Jose Riveiro keen to extend this excellent record against today’s opponents.
Pirates will be able to call upon Thabang Monare again, as the midfielder returns from his red-card suspension, while the club also confirmed that defenders Innocent Maela and Thabiso Monyane “have made significant progress after their respective spells on the sidelines”.
Here is how they line up:
Arrows XI: Mlungwana, Cross, Mantshiyane, Shitolo, Tlolane, Theron, Van Rooi, Moon, Ndwandwe, Sibiya, Zwane
Subs: Watenga, Zuke, Ncube, Dlamini, Motloung, Ndlovu, Dube, Mutizwa, Nguse
Pirates XI: Buthelezi, Sibisi, Ndah, Hotto, Timm, Ndlondlo, Maswanganyi, Otladisa, Kimvuidi, Makaringe, Makgopa
Subs: Ofori, Xoki, Monare, Baroni, Mofokeng, Dlamini, Saleng, Lepasa, Lorch
