MOROKA Swallows' excellent start to the new season will receive a stern examination when they host wounded defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns in an Absa Premiership clash at the Dobsonville Stadium.

The clubs have had contrasting starts to the new season, to the surprise of many, with Swallows having claimed back-to-back victories, including in their opener against Orlando Pirates, and Sundowns yet to win.

Swallows coach Zeca Marques is understandably delighted with his side's form after a difficult pre-season that promised more of the same struggles from last season, and says now is also a good time to play Sundowns.

"I have always said you want to play the big teams at the beginning of the season and not the end," he said.

"Sundowns haven't found their rhythm, that is clear, they have battled to get to the right pace and so it is obviously better for us to play them now.

"But my players will come out firing, we will be up for the task and are ready to put in another gutsy performance."

If things have gone well on the pitch, in the medical room it has been close to a disaster for Swallow with the loss of key players for this game.

"Lefa [Tsutsulupa] is out for eight weeks, [Larry] Cohen is out for 10 weeks, Felix Obada is doubtful with an ankle problem. Those are three big players for us."

Pitso Mosimane, meanwhile, has come in for a remarkable battering from Sundowns fans this season, their memories short after the way he steered them to a league championship that had looked out of reach last season.

But captain Alje Schut says the players have received a "wake-up call".

"For us it's a good wake-up call because we have now seen that we cannot simply rest on our laurels and we have to work even harder," Schut said.

"We have had a bit of a false start, which is funny because we won all our matches in the pre-season. We are still trying to find the right combinations and to get the maximum amount of quality out of the new players we've signed."