Arrows out to pierce Downs’ shield of invincibility

Smiso Msomi

Newly crowned 2023/2024 DStv Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns will place their season-long invincibility on the line when they travel to Golden Arrows next.

Abafana Bes’thende will welcome The Brazilians to the Mpumalanga Stadium at 7.30pm tomorrow looking to break Sundowns’ 24-match unbeaten streak in the league.

Just like they’ve done in the six seasons before this one, Sundowns have steam-rolled every opponent in the top flight this season on their way to being crowned rulers of the land for the seventh time in a row.

With a league-high 47 goals scored and a league-low of just nine conceded, Sundowns will put all those records on the line again when they travel to an unpredictable Arrows side.

The arrival of Steve Komphela at Arrows in March seemed to signal a change of fortunes but that romantic return quickly took a turn for the worse.

Following promising back-to-back wins over Polokwane City and Richards Bay, Arrows have failed to secure a win in their past five outings, losing two and drawing the other three, including a 7-1 hammering at the hands of Orlando Pirates.

These results have left their top-eight aspirations dangling by a thread as they occupy 11th spot in the league standings but with just two points separating them and eighth-placed Kaizer Chiefs.

Now on their doorstep is yet another powerhouse, the best in the country and one of the best on the continent.

Arrows, with the help of Komphela (who left Sundowns at the start of the season), will want to avenge their first-round defeat with the slight possibility of being the first team to walk away with all three points against Sundowns.

Sundowns, on the other hand, have not lost to Arrows in five years and will look to protect that record and even add to the seven wins and four draws they’ve acquired since 2019.