Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has named his strongest possible starting line-up for the Golden Arrows clash.
The two sides take on each other in the Betway Premiership at Mpumalanga Stadium in Hammarsdale TONIGHT.
Kick-off is at 19:30.
The Buccaneers head into this encounter with a dominant record over Abafana Bes’thende over the years.
The two sides have met 44 times across all competitions since 2004 with Pirates winning 27, Arrows recording only six wins wile the other 11 matches ended in draws.
Golden Arrows’ last win over Pirates came on 2 February 2021 when they walked away with a 2-0 victory at home.
The last five matches saw Pirates win four while the other ended in a draw, meaning Arrows did not beat the Soweto giants.
Now, Riveiro has kept the core of the team that has been playing together this season with Thalente Mbatha returning to starting line-up.
This after missing the last couple of matches through injury and not because of any ill-discipline.
Bandile Shandu also returns after struggling for regular game time at Pirates in recent months.
Golden Arrows, led by Kagisho Dikgacoi and Musa Bilankulu, have gone for experience over anything.
Gladwin Shitolo will again lead the team out of the tunnel while they have the likes of Velemseni Ndwandwe and Nduduzo Sibiya.
STARTING XI: GOLDEN ARROWS VS ORLANDO PIRATES
Golden Arrows XI: Watenga, Shitolo, Theron, S.Cele, Phillips, L.Dube, Zwane, Sibeko, Ndwandwe, Sibiya and B.Cele.
Orlando Pirates XI: Chaine, Van Rooyen, Shandu, Sibisi, Xoki, Makhaula, Mbatha, Hotto, Mabasa, Maswanganyi and Mofokeng.
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