Nick Said, Special to ESPN 7y

Pirates' unbeaten PSL start faces sternest test

Orlando Pirates' unbeaten start to the Premier Soccer League season will face it's toughest test when they host Cape Town City tonight.

Pirates are looking to bounce back from their worst season in 30 years, and so far have two wins and two draws under new coach Micho Sredojevic. But with the greatest respect to the teams they have faced so far, none have the quality of City, and this home tie will perhaps be the best indicator of their progress under the Serbian.

It also sees City coach Benni McCarthy come up against his former club, but he will do so without another former Buccaneer, Teko Modise, who is sidelined with a groin injury.

Siyabonga Mpontshane, Nkosinathi Mthiyane, Lehlohonolo Mtshali, Riyaad Norodien and Thamsanqa Sangweni, who was signed from Chippa United in the off-season, are all back in training. However, defender Gladwin Shitolo continues to undergo strength training and has been ruled out for this week along with left-back Marc van Heerden, who sustained a knock to the knee in a friendly match on Sunday.

It is the headline fixture on a Tuesday that also sees Polokwane City host winless Free State Stars in a battle between two sides who are likely to struggle this campaign. Added spice sees Stars coach Luc Eymael comes up against his former side, who he left under a cloud at the end of last season.

City coach Bernard Molekwa is on borrowed time, with the Limpopo side interested in bringing in recently axed Chippa United boss Dan Malesela, KweséESPN understands.

Chippa travel to SuperSport United under their caretaker coach Teboho Moloi, who was assistant to Matsatsantsa coach Eric Tinkler when they were together at Pirates a few years ago. SuperSport have two wins and a defeat from their three games so far, and this is the kind of game they need to win if they are be genuine title contenders this season.

There are another four matches on Wednesday night, with all eyes on Kaizer Chiefs as they travel to Maritzburg United. Chiefs were minutes away from their first back-to-back league wins in over a year on Saturday before a late equaliser meant they had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Bidvest Wits.

Coach Steve Komphela's new tactic of 'parking the bus' when his side is in front back-fired on this occasion and raised the ire of AmaKhosi fans, who made their displeasure known at the end of the Wits stalemate. Certainly another winless performance at unbeaten Maritzburg will further heap the pressure on Komphela, though he will likely tell you it could not get much higher.

League champions Wits, who have not won in their last eight games dating back to the end of last season, have already made the worst start of any defending champion, but did look improved in the draw at Chiefs at the weekend. They now travel to AmaZulu; another potentially tricky away day, but a game they should surely win.

Top-of-the-table Golden Arrows are basking in their best ever start to a PSL campaign as they make the journey to bottom side Platinum Stars, where new coach Roger de Sa is still waiting for a first win this season. This fixture ended 6-4 in Stars' favour five years ago; still the highest-scoring PSL fixture ever. Dikwena would certainly settle for that again.

Finally, Bloemfontein Celtic and Baroka FC have both made good starts to the new campaign and are unbeaten so far, but one may lose that record at the Free State Stadium.

Mamelodi Sundowns are not in action in this round as their away fixture at Ajax Cape Town was postponed to give them more time to prepare for their CAF Champions League quarterfinal, second leg, at Wydad Casablanca on the weekend.

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