Orlando Pirates are back in midweek league action as they take on Golden Arrows on Wednesday, 19 February.
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Mpumalanga Stadium in Hammarsdale will be the battleground as the Soweto giants look to make some crucial ground in the Betway Premiership.
Following a brief return to Orlando Stadium, the Buccaneers resume their travels with an important assignment away to Abafana Bes’thende.
It’s a match whose result could offer a significant boost as they hit the halfway mark in their league campaign.
Form guide
Orlando Pirates head to KwaZulu-Natal having progressed in the Nedbank Cup courtesy of a 3-1 win at home against Baroka FC.
The victory helped secure their spot in the quarter-finals for the third season running.
Their immediate attention has now shifted to their league ambitions after falling nine points behind log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
This follows their loss to the Tshwane giants at Loftus Versfeld, which threatened to widen the gap even further before Orlando Pirates were handed a lifeline by a slip-up from their rivals.
Currently in second place with two games in hand, the Buccaneers now have an opportunity to cut the deficit.
Their recent away form, however, suggests the desired result is far from a foregone conclusion, following two defeats in their last three league games on the road.
Their only away victory in this sequence of fixtures came in a midweek trip to Sekhukhune United.
Against Golden Arrows, they face a side desperate to turn their fortunes around after going winless in their last three fixtures, securing just a single point in the process.
Their last victory in all competitions was away to Kaizer Chiefs, and the month since then has seen them pick up only two points to drop to 10th place in the standings.
Abafana Bes’thende’s current league position has been partly due to their results at home, where they remain in search of their first win since early December.
They host Orlando Pirates having lost once and collected two points through stalemates since last emerging triumphant in their backyard where they have managed eight points in seven home matches since the start of the season.
Team news
Midfielder Kabelo Dlamini will be a key absentee in the centre of the park for the visitors.
His 73rd minute booking in the recent Nedbank Cup tie rules him out of the fixture as it was his fourth yellow card of the season, thus making him ineligible for selection.
The Buccaneers’ hosts have no such suspension worries heading into the fixture.
However, they could have a fresh injury concern in the form of attacking midfielder Angelo van Rooi, who was stretchered off during the early exchanges of their league clash against Cape Town City.
Key players
Patrick Maswanganyi (Orlando Pirates): Pulling the strings up front for the Buccaneers is the 26-year-old, fresh off a productive outing over the weekend. The skilful midfielder’s two assists brought him to eight goal contributions in all competitions this season and he will be determined to continue in the same vein this evening.
Velemseni Ndwandwe (Golden Arrows): The 28-year-old is an influential figure in the Arrows’ midfield and ever-present in the starting lineup. Having debuted as a forward, Ndwandwe has been a key contributor on attack with the uncanny ability to pop up with a decisive touch from time to time.
Head-to-head
The Buccaneers head to Harmmarsdale amid a dominant spell over their hosts.
They have won each of the last four games played, netting an impressive 14 goals in the process.
Half of these came in the most recent clash between these two sides – where they subjected the Durbanites to a heavy 7-1 defeat.
It’s a result that stretched the Soweto giants’ unbeaten run in this fixture to six matches, with the KZN side’s last victory dating back four years ago when they netted two unanswered goals at home to take maximum points.
Despite that defeat, Orlando Pirates have maintained a positive win record in their visits to Golden Arrows, winning nine of their last 19 games on the road while falling on the losing side just five times.
Overall historic results between the two sides demonstrate that the Buccaneers have been prone to the odd slip-up on occasion, but have only suffered six defeats scattered across the 38 league fixtures played over the past 20 years.
They have won the overwhelming majority of these clashes, boasting 21 victories with 11 matches finishing level.
TV coverage and ticket information
The match is set to kick off at 19:30, with live coverage available on SuperSport PSL.
Tickets are available for sale online on TicketPro as well as selected outlets nationwide.
Prediction
Golden Arrows 1-2 Orlando Pirates
Teams
Golden Arrows
TBA
Orlando Pirates
TBA
Betway Premiership log ahead of kick-off
How do you foresee the match will finish?
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