Cape Town – Lamontville Golden Arrows will square off with Orlando Pirates in a DStv Premiership match at the Princess Magogo Stadium on Tuesday (7.30pm).
Abafana Bes’thende stretched their unbeaten run to three matches when they fought back to hold Stellenbosch FC to a 1-1 draw at home on Friday.
The KwaZulu-Natal side are eighth eighth on the DStv Premiership standings – three points behind fifth-placed Pirates and three points above 14th-placed Maritzburg United.
Vusumuzi Vilakazi, the Arrows co-head coach, is pleased to have silenced their critics and he is focused on making Abafana Bes’thende a better team.
“We’re only focusing on doing well as a team, not on what other people say,” Vilakazi said.
“What people think about us, we can’t control. People in football have their own opinions, and we can’t focus on that. We understand our responsibility as coaches. We want to make Golden Arrows a better team and try to make sure we succeed in our mission to make this club better.”
Meanwhile, Pirates’ struggles continued when their winless run stretched to four matches when they drew 1-1 with AmaZulu FC at home on Friday.
Bucs are fifth on the DStv Premiership standings, three points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, and a win over Arrows could elevate coach Jose Riveiro’s side into the top three spots.
Pirates striker Kermit Erasmus has made a heartfelt plea to the Bucs fans to support the team and he is hopeful that the team will soon turn the corner.
“You know it is difficult to accept a draw with the chances we created, but you know we got to stay positive,” Erasmus said.
"We need the support from the fans to cheer us on and not to be negative, just to keep motivating us because they are the 12th man for us in the field. It’s important for them to keep motivating us, and things will change, we just need a little bit more time.”
IOL Sport