Polokwane City vs Orlando Pirates Prediction & Betting Tips - Premier Soccer League

Prediction published on 29/02/2024, 07:15  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 02/03/2024 at 00:30 in Premier Soccer League Prediction

Orlando Pirates will look to close the gap to the top three in the PSL when they travel to the Peter Mokaba Stadium to face Polokwane City on Saturday afternoon. The hosts are in ninth place in the league standings, while the visitors are fifth. After securing promotion back to the top flight last season, Polokwane will likely be well-pleased with their performance over the first half of the campaign. They secured a 1-0 win on the road against Moroka Swallows last week, which marked their third consecutive league match without defeat. That win also took them to 24 points after 17 games, 11 points clear of Richards Bay, who are currently in the sole relegation playoff spot. At home this season, Rise and Shine have only lost twice and have managed to take 12 points from a possible 24. The hosts held this opponent to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture back in October, but the bookmakers have them down as the clear underdogs in this match. 

Meanwhile, Orlando Pirates head into this match off the back of a commanding 6-0 win over lower-league outfit Crystal Lake in the Nedbank Cup last week. However, they will now need to bring the same type of form to the league competition, having failed to win any of their last three games. During that time, the Buccaneers were beaten 3-1 by Supersport United, 3-2 by Stellenbosch, and drew 1-1 with Mamelodi Sundowns in their last outing. Those results have seen them drop to fifth in the standings, now on 26 points after 17 games and trailing the top three by five points. However, they do have a game in hand on the sides in second and third in the table. On the road this term, the visitors have managed just two wins in nine games and have taken just ten points from a possible 27 to date. While they are the favourites here, this will not be a straightforward encounter for the Buccaneers.