Lamontville Golden Arrows host Orlando Pirates in a Telkom Knockout encounter at the Princess Magogo Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
MATCH FACTS
• This will be the fifth time since 2010 that Orlando Pirates have clashed with Lamontville Golden Arrows in the Telkom Knockout competition.
• Pirates have a 100% record in those games, winning all four:
2010: First Round – Arrows 0 Pirates 1 (Lekgwathi)
2011: Semifinal – Arrows 1 (Johannes) Pirates 3 (Sangweni, Mbuyane, Manyisa pen)
2013: Quarterfinal – Pirates 4 (Bacela 3, Erasmus) Arrows 0
2016: First Round – Pirates 2 (Makola, Memela) Arrows 1 (Jooste)
• Pirates have enjoyed almost total domination over Golden Arrows in recent times, winning 16 of their last 18 meetings, though Abafana Bes’thende did claim victory in the last, a 2-1 league success in May.
• In all, the teams have met on 37 previous occasions in all competitions. Pirates have 23 wins to six for Golden Arrows, with a further eight games drawn. Pirates have outscored their opponents 61-29.
• Pirates also hold the advantage in matches played at Golden Arrows. In the 19 previous games, they have won 11 to Golden Arrows’ four, with four games drawn. They have outscored their opponents 30-14.
• Pirates have also won all five cup games between the sides. Aside from the four games in the Telkom Knockout, Pirates also claimed victory in the FA Cup semifinal last season, winning 1-0, thanks to a goal from Abbubaker Mobara.
• Golden Arrows exited in the first round last season when they lost to Orlando Pirates, but they have reached the quarterfinals at least in five of the last eight appearances in the competition.
• Pirates have played a total of 68 matches in the Telkom Knockout in the PSL era, winning 35 of those to go with 16 draws and 17 defeats. Those are more matches than any other team, with Chiefs (67) next on the list.
• Pirates have reached the semifinals of the Telkom Knockout in each of the last three seasons, losing to SuperSport United in 2014 and 2016 (0-2 and 0-1) and Kaizer Chiefs on penalties in 2015 (0-0).
• Pirates have not lost in the first round of the Telkom Knockout since 2007, when they were beaten on penalties by Benoni Premier United. In all, they have five first round defeats since the start of the PSL 21 years ago.
Photo: Muzi Ntombela/Backpagepix
