Bidvest Wits midfielder Elias Pelembe believes his side are ready to defend their MTN8 and Absa Premiership title.

The Clever Boys will begin the 2017-18 campaign by defending their MTN8 title when they take on Golden Arrows in their quarter-final clash.

The 33-year-old says his side have been working hard to prepare for the first game of the season, and they are hoping to hit the ground running against Abafana Bes’thende.

“We have been working hard and we are excited for the first game. Defending the title is important to us, but even more important is to take it game by game,” Pelembe told his club’s official website.

“This first game against Golden Arrows is a home game, so it would be great to start with a win – we have been working hard, now we must transport our training to the game.”

Pelembe went on to say that his side have no added pressure on them to retain the title, and he insists that they will continue to take it one match at a time.

“It’s normal pressure, you want to win every game. We aren’t going into the season overly worried about the title, but rather about every single match that leads to that podium. That’s how you have to think about it,” he added.

Bidvest Wits will now welcome Golden Arrows to the Bidvest Stadium in the MTN8 quarter-final on Friday.

Kick-off has been scheduled for 20:00.

– This story originally appeared on SportsClub.co.za

Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix