The battle of the forwards – looking ahead at Sundowns vs Pirates clash 

One of the things that makes the DStv Premiership clash between Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates interesting is the lethal power upfront the two sides possess which says a lot about the tie at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday.

READ: Why the Sundowns versus Pirates clash promises to be a humdinger

There is no doubt that these sides have a strong attacking ability and with that in mind, one can easily expect a lot of goals from either side.

From the assist kings to the goal-poachers, both Sundowns and Pirates should be able to give us an entertaining clash to welcome local football back in the new year.

The home side, however, have a superior goal tally in the league having found the back of the net 16 times in their last eight games of the 2020/21 season.

The likes of Themba Zwane, Peter Shalulile and Kermit Erasmus have proved to be vital for the Brazilians in attack scoring some important goals for the club.

Zwane, for instance, has already found the back of the net four times for Downs this season.

The reigning PSL Footballer of the Season has been a key member of the Downs squad for years now and he continues to rise to the occasion.

In Shalulile, the Pretoria side has a player who is hungry for success and is willing to do everything that he can in order to help the team win games.

He has managed to score a couple of goals so far for the club, five goals to be exact in all competitions.

Erasmus, on the other hand, is one player who has always had a potential to become the best striker in the PSL from his upcoming years.

The striker is undoubtedly one of the best home brewed goal-scorers and he is aiming at 30 goals this season, but has only managed to score two goals at this point.

His abilities are not to be taken for granted though and he will certainly be looking forward to a meeting against his former side Pirates.

Bucs meanwhile, have recorded nine goals from their last seven matches of the campaign.

But, that doesn’t mean one should underestimate their attack which showed during the two legged tie against Kaizer Chiefs in the MTN8 that they can be free scoring when they are on the mood after winning 5-0 on aggregate.

If there is one player that is determined to carry the Buccaneers load this season is definitely Thembinkosi Lorch, who keeps on getting praises from his coach Josef Zinnbauer.

Lorch’s impact at Pirates does not go unnoticed with his assists and goal scoring abilities.

Another player that will be a force in the Bucs attack is Deon Hotto. The new Buccaneer has hit the ground running at the club and his hard work is showing off quite nicely.

He played a huge role in helping the team win the MTN8.

There is no living Vincent Pule in a Pirates attacking force with the winger’s exciting dribbles and speed always coming in handy for the club.

Pule has also managed to play as a second striker for the Buccaneers and he tends to execute that role well.

He has a knack for goals and comes up with assists for strikers.

With these attacking trio from both sides one can’t really expect less than four goals in this match.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.