Soccer
Golden Arrows vs Orlando Pirates Preview: Tips, Odds and Prediction
Date: February 19, 2025 Kickoff Time: 19:30 Local Time Venue: Mpumalanga Stadium Orlando Pirates need to turn things around quickly following a humiliating defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns if they are going to maintain the title chase, whilst Golden Arrows have exceeded expectations as far as their log position. Our preview for this encounter set to take place in a different province as opposed to KwaZulu Natal, offers insights for sports betters and fans looking for the best soccer betting sites.
Sipho Chaine//Getty Images
Golden Arrows will play host to a wounded Orlando Pirates side looking to bounce back immediately in their quest for a first Betway Premiership title in over ten years.
The encounter is set to play simultaneously with other fixtures in the league and will pit an inexperienced Kagiso Dikgacoi with the seasoned Jose Riveiro, who led his team to a 7-1 thrashing of their hosts in the their last encounter.
At the time of writing, Pirates are nine points behind Mamelodi Sundowns in second place, whilst Golden Arrows find themselves out of the top eight in tenth position with only twenty points to their name.
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Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability
Home: 43/50 (1.86) 53.8%
Draw: 9/5 (2.8) 35.7%
Away: 299/100 (3.99) 25.1%
*Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change
Head-to-Head record
Pirates humiliated Golden Arrows the last time out with a humbling 7-1 score and have been the dominant team in the fixture with four wins in their last five encounters, with only one ending in a draw.
Last 5 Meetings
- 06/04/24: Orlando Pirates 7-1 Golden Arrows
- 17/12/23: Golden Arrows 1-2 Orlando Pirates
- 14/01/23: Orlando Pirates 3-1 Golden Arrows
- 18/10/22: Golden Arrows 0-2 Orlando Pirates
- 16/02/22: Orlando Pirates 0-0 Golden Arrows
Golden Arrows Current Form – DLDWD
It has been a mild to mid campaign for Golden Arrows with the coaching set-up led by former Bafana Bafana midfielder Kagiso Dikgacoi not doing so well.
Abafana be Sthende have symmetrical results in all possible outcomes. Five defeats, five losses and five draws which has them on 20 points so far.
Coming into this one and at the time of writing, they are in position ten and just a point away from the top eight. A positive result could see them end the day in either position six, seven or eight, depending on the other results.
Orlando Pirates fans//Getty Images
Key Players to Watch
- Bongani Cele: Playing out of position in a more advanced forward role, Bongani Cele has been given a chance and took it with both hands in the absence of a misfiring Knox Mutizwa. He scored his first goal against Cape Town City and will have his tail up against Orlando Pirates.
- Gladwin Shitolo: Shitolo marshals the back five and is the most central of all the defenders, and has featured in all of his team’s games this season.
- Nduduzo Sibiya: Sibiya has also featured in all fifteen of Arrows’ games this season with one goal and an assist to his name. Playing from the left-wing position, he will be one of the key players to lookout for on the day.
Golden Arrows Team News
Golden Arrows will have a full squad raring to go against Orlando Pirates, making the coach’s job all the more easier with a full squad to pick from.
Orlando Pirates Current Form – LWWLW
Orlando Pirates are making a run for the league this season but have dropped crucial points with two losses in their last five games against Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town City.
The Buccaneers were convincingly outclassed by the defending champions with a 4-1 score and really didn’t look threatening or worthy of title chasing credentials on the day.
And looking at their overall recent run, they merely scraped by to get the wins they got.
A last-minute penalty against Chiefs got them by, while a scrappy 2-1 win against Sekhukhune was also not convincing.
Against Magesi, despite the pitch at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium not being to the standard of a Premier League match, they stole a 1-0 win. All this indicates to their title chasing credentials being a bit murky at the moment.
Key Players to Watch
- Dion Hotto: Dion Hotto was the only livewire in the Orlando Pirates squad and was able to score from a deflected shot. He will be looking to edge his team on once more against Golden Arrows.
- Makhehlane Makhaula: Two Man of the Match awards before they lost to Sundowns meant Makhaula was the best player for Pirates, form wise. And despite that poor showing we predict he will rise to the occasion.
- Relebohile Mofokeng: Pirates’ best player overall this campaign, and one tipped for player of the season, Relebohile Mofokeng is in need of a serious reboot to regain form. If he does, he is unstoppable on the day.
Orlando Pirates Team News
Olisa Ndah might just make his return from injury if the coach is brave enough to field in place of Tapelo Xoki or Nkosinathi Sibisi who were exposed against Sundowns. Thabiso Sesane will probably be out for the rest of the season.
Predicted Line-ups
Golden Arrows 5-4-1: Watenga, Van Rooi, Philips, Shitolo, Sibeko, Cele, Ndwandwe, Theron, Dube, Sibiya, Cele
Orlando Pirates 4-2-3-1: Chaine, Van Rooyen, Xoki, Sibisi, Mako, Dlamini, Makhaula, Hotto, Maswanganyi, Mofokeng, Mabasa
Suggested Bets
We went the safer more conservative route with our suggested bets and combining all three with other bets of your choice will give you good possible returns.
Match Result – Orlando Pirates Win/Draw: Despite losing against Sundowns, we believe Pirates have better quality players and a good technical compared to Golden Arrows, and will either defeat them or force a draw away from home. (17/100 with Betway).
Total Goals – Over 1.5: Looking at the last encounter between these two sides, we are of the opinion that Orlando Pirates have a psychological edge over Golden Arrows, and if they score first, they might just score more. (33/100 with Betway).
Draw No Bet – Orlando Pirates: If the Sea Robbers don’t win, then a Draw no Bet market is a safe enough option to bet because it guarantees your bet should the game end in a draw. (2/5 with Betandyou).
Value Bets
Our value bets favour the visiting team greatly. Be sure to pick one or all three and stake with a significant amount of money for a good return.
Multigoals – 4 to 6: We predict a high-scoring game of at least four goals, the majority of which will come from Orlando Pirates. Give great consideration to this market as a bet. (17/4 with 1XBet).
Orlando Pirates to Score in Both Halves – Yes: In their last three encounters, Pirates achieved the feat of scoring in both halves against Golden Arrows and they did this home and away. The likelihood of it happening again is possible. (128/25 with Betway).
Orlando Pirates to Win Both Halves – Yes: A wounded Orlando Pirates, which has generally dominated their hosts is more than capable of winning both halves in this match and history is a yardstick we used. High odds for this market, give it some consideration. (19/5 with Betandyou).
Prediction: Orlando Pirates to Win
Orlando Pirates will be looking to win so that they can stay close to Sundowns in the title race, and looking at the historical head-to-head record between them and Arrows, we do not doubt their ability to win this match.
Jimmy is based in Johannesburg, South Africa and has a Diploma in Journalism and Media Studies. He’s a sports fanatic of several sporting disciplines which he is well versed with.
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