Arrows expecting a very tough game against Bucs
GOLDEN Arrows haven’t tasted defeat by Orlando Pirates on the road for the past three years and tonight they will be out to protect that record.
The two teams will lock horns at Orlando Stadium in Soweto in a PSL showdown that promises fireworks. Both teams are in desperate need of maximum points for different reasons.
The Buccaneers are on a mission to end their run of poor results in all the competitions, while Abafana Bes’thende are still searching for their first points away from home having suffered a hefty 5-0 loss against Bloemfontein Celtic the last time they were on the road.
Pirates will have to be at their best to get the better of Arrows tonight – something that they have failed to achieve the past two seasons. Last season they settled for a share of the spoils in a 0-0 draw in Orlando. It was the same story in 2018 as both sides failed to find the back of the net in Soweto. Arrows want to go one better this time around and come back with maximum points, according to their striker Knox Mutizwa.
“We are not going there for a draw, we want to get three points this time. The fact that we’ve gone there and collected two points in the past two seasons will inspire us,” Mutizwa said.
Pirates are low on confidence having not tasted victory in their last five games.
They collected one point out of a possible six in their last two league outings. Pirates succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at the expense of SuperSport United and then collected a point in a 0-0 draw against AmaZulu at the King Zwelithini Stadium.
Prior to that, they were dumped out of the MTN8 by Highlands Park in the quarter-finals. They also failed to advance to the second round of the CAF Champions League where they were outfoxed by Zambian outfit Green Eagles.
Mutizwa said: “Pirates are Pirates. They are a big team in South Africa. Yes, they might not have won games in the last few weeks, but that doesn’t mean that it will be easy when we meet them. It will be even more difficult because they also want to turn around their fortunes. We are expecting a very tough game.”
Arrows will be oozing with confidence after they emerged victorious from their last league outing against Chippa United at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium this past weekend.
“The win against Chippa gave us confidence. The manner in which we won the game will serve as motivation going to Pirates. We showed a good fighting spirit in that game. We will do the same tomorrow (today) against Pirates,” Mutizwa said.