That most Golden Arrows players have worked with coach Mandla Ncikazi before, could give them a slight advantage ahead of their DStv Premiership match against Orlando Pirates at Princess Magogo Stadium on Saturday at 3.30pm.

This is the view of Arrows captain Matome Mathiane as they plan to take advantage of Pirates’ poor run under Ncikazi.

“The guys are well motivated. It is our home game and we need points. We only have two wins so far this season,” Mathiane told Sowetan yesterday.

“This game is do-or-die for us. We are playing against a coach who knows our players very well and the way we play. So, it is not going to be an easy game and we know how Pirates play. They are not doing well at the moment and we want to take advantage of that to try and win the game.”

Ncikazi joined Pirates from Arrows, where he spent most of his time either as an assistant or a head coach. Mathiane insists they are not going to the match to try prove a point to him but to win it.

“I’m sure he is motivated to be coming up against us. He has worked with us for many seasons and we are also motivated as players to come up against him,” he said. “So, it is not about proving a point to him, we are just going to humble ourselves. We are playing a big game and we respect Pirates.

“We are going to give it our all and try to win the game because we need the points at the moment, especially that we are playing at home. We will make sure that we get the maximum points.”

Fixtures

Saturday: Sekhukhune v Royal, Ellis Park, 3.30pm; Arrows v Pirates, Princess Magogo, 3.30pm; Stellenbosch v AmaZulu, Danie Craven, 3.30pm; SuperSport v Marumo, Lucas Moripe, 5pm; Baroka v Chippa, Peter Mokaba, 5pm; Cape Town City v Sundowns, Cape Town Stadium, 5.30pm.

Sunday: Galaxy v Swallows, Mbombela, 3.30pm; Maritzburg v Chiefs, Harry Gwala, 5.30pm.