Ntsako Makhubela of Golden Arrows during the Absa Premiership 2019/20 match between Golden Arrows and Mamelodi Sundowns at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium, Clermont on the 10 November 2019 ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
Golden Arrows vs Wits: Prediction, scores, kick-off time and head-to-head
Golden Arrows host Bidvest Wits at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in a rare Thursday night PSL encounter. Here’s the run-down on all you need to know ahead of the game.
Ntsako Makhubela of Golden Arrows during the Absa Premiership 2019/20 match between Golden Arrows and Mamelodi Sundowns at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium, Clermont on the 10 November 2019 ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
Two teams who have impressed so far in 2019-20 go head to head as Golden Arrows host Bidvest Wits on Thursday evening.
Arrows sit fourth on the Premiership table, while Wits are just four points behind them despite having played five fewer games. Gavin Hunt’s men have been balancing their league ambitions with the CAF Confederation Cup.
The Clever Boys head into this fixture off the back of a 1-0 away defeat to Malian side Djoliba. Golden Arrows also lost their last game, going down 2-1 to Black Leopards in Thohoyandou.
In Durban, it is a different story. Abafana Bes’thende have not lost an away league game all season. Out of six, they have won four and drawn two.
Wits have consistently stood up to the ‘big three’ of Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in recent years. Essentially, they are where Golden Arrows are aiming to be.
Arrows’ coach, Steve Komphela, has plenty of experience and appears to have the respect of his counterpart, Gavin Hunt, a four-time Premiership-winning mentor.
“You know what you are Steve? You’re a honey badger. Now, I want you to go home and Google it,” Hunt said to Komphela in front of the media while the latter was at Kaizer Chiefs.
“You see that animal, that animal gets attacked but he lies half conscious and then comes back. That’s you.”
After losing to fierce rival Luc Eymael’s Black Leopards in Limpopo, Komphela will aim to live up to Hunt’s words.
Head-to-head records
These statistics include league and cup matches dating back to 2004-05.
| Records | Golden Arrows | Bidvest Wits |
| Wins | 4 | 17 |
| Draws | 7 | 7 |
| Losses | 17 | 4 |
| Goals for | 35 | 48 |
| Goals against | 48 | 35 |
| Points | 19 | 58 |
Kick-off time and prediction
Kick-off time: Thursday 12 December at 18:00
Prediction: Golden Arrows’ home advantage and Wits’ jetlag from their Confederation Cup exploits mean that Abafana Bes’thende are likely to pull off a minor upset. Arrows are tipped to win 2-1.
