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MATCH PREVIEW - GOLDEN ARROWS VS MOROKA SWALLOWS 18.02.2011
Date: 20 February 2011
Kick-off: 15h30
Venue: Chatsworth Stadium
Arrows take aim at the Birds
Golden Arrows will be keen to break their recent losing streak when they host Moroka Swallows at the Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday afternoon, kick-off at 15h30.
The KwaZulu-Natal side has hit their leanest run of form this season, suffering four successive defeats, all by a one-goal margin, to Vasco da Gama, Kaizer Chiefs, Free State Stars and Bloemfontein Celtic.
Nonetheless, Abafana Bes’thende’s fine start to the season means that they are still placed in the top half of the table, though their potential qualification for next season’s MTN8 will be very much under threat unless they can turn around their form.
The good news for coach Zoran Filipovic is that his charges will be facing a Swallows team who are in the midst of one of their worst ever seasons.
The Birds find themselves second from bottom on the standings after winning just three of their 20 matches thus far. The thought of a traditional powerhouse in South African football like Swallows being relegated may seem a fanciful one, but there is a real danger of exactly that happening.
Swallows were defeated 1-0 in midweek by Kaizer Chiefs, a result which leaves them four points adrift of safety with ten games to play. Arrows must have no sympathy for the plight of their visitors on Sunday, instead looking to claim a first win since they beat Maritzburg United 3-0 in January.
Abafana Bes’thende have picked up maximum points in the four matches they have had against bottom-three teams this season, and their hopes of remaining in the top eight will depend on them retaining that record against the Birds.
In terms of head-to-head statistics, Swallows have a slight edge thanks to claiming nine wins to Arrows’ seven in the 21 league games between the teams since the 2000/01 season.
When the teams met earlier this season at the Dobsonville Stadium, Abafana Bes’thende walked away 1-0 winners thanks to a goal from Siyabonga Nkosi.
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