When Mamelodi Sundowns began stuttering after they had secured their sixth successive DStv Premiership title last season, Golden Arrows were one of the teams that stole a point from the Brazilians.
Abafana Be’sthende secured a 1-1 draw back in April, a result that soured what coach Rhulani Mokwena and his men would have loved to be a winning conclusion to a fantastic season.
It was the last match of the Premiership season and Sundowns were keen to bring an end to a spate of draws that served to undermine their impressive march to yet another title as they set all sorts of record.
If revenge is a dish best served cold, then Arrows could well be in for it today when they visit the Brazilians at the Lucas Moripe Stadium (5pm kick-off).
Sundowns have already won twice at the Atteridgeville arena, the champions having earned three points against Kaizer Chiefs via a 2-1 win last Wednesday and then knocking Moroka Swallows out of the MTN8 courtesy of a 1-0 victory on Saturday.
They are one of just two teams – Cape Town City is the other – with a perfect record of two wins out of two in the new season. With the lure of a record-extending seventh league title their motivation, there is little chance of Sundowns letting Arrows get anything from them this time around.
Such has been their dominance of this tie since Arrows joined the country’s top league that Sundowns will always start as favourites. This will be the 21st league meeting between the two sides and the previous 20 has seen Bafana baStyle win 13 while the outfit from Lamontville have been victorious only twice.
Arrows have yet to lose this season, having won at Richards Bay and drawn with Swallows and they are sure to have to wait for another match before they chalk up maximum points.
Sundowns’ performances in their three matches means Mokwena was somewhat justified in crying that his players are not being given the credit they deserve for helping lift the standard of the local game. There are no slackers at Sundowns.
Captain and the team’s ‘old man’, Themba Zwane, is continuing with the Sundowns tradition of leading by example, just as Hlompho Kekana, Michale Manzini and Daniel Mudau had done before him.
Considered long in the tooth and with talk that he would be wrapped in cotton wool this season to preserve him for the key matches of the campaign, the 34-year-old has shown he is going to once again be vital to the club’s success.
He scored the winner against the Dube Birds at the weekend and dictated play and Mokwena could not help but wax lyrical about him.
“Mshishi is so intelligent,” Mokwena said, before going into a monologue off how the navigation system Wayz works.
“South Africa is going to struggle to find another like him. He is a space navigator. He does that.
“Seeing where’s my teammates? What area their strengths and weaknesses?
“He finds the best possible route, to find ways to get to the (opposition) goals. He goes to Bafana (Bafana) and you see the same thing.
“He is still playing the same way with (Orlando Pirates’ Zakhele) Lepasa or Lyle Forster (of Burnely). Only intelligent players can do that. Mshishi has a brain that is second to none.”
Arrows better hope they wrap Zwane in cotton wool for this one if they are to avoid defeat No 14.
@Tshiliboy