Wednesday night's PSL preview: The Team of Choice look to continue their winning run

The Premier Soccer League got underway this past weekend and the action is only heating up further with several exciting encounters on Wednesday night.

Golden Arrows are set to host Bloemfontein Celtic as both teams look to register their first win of the new season. Abafana Bes’thende were held to a 1-1 draw in their opening game against Ajax, while Celtic fought valiantly to earn a point against Kaizer Chiefs on Sunday, which should make for an exciting affair.

Nonetheless, both teams will be eager to impress and changes are to be expected from both sides. Once again Clinton Larsen will need to reshuffle his line-up with suspensions hampering the team’s progression. Siyabonga Dube and Danny Phiri will again join Larsen and his assistant Mandla Ncikazi in the stands as they continue to serve their respective suspensions after being sent off in their defeat to Bidvest Wits in the MTN 8 quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Celtic coach Veselin Jelusic will be impressed by his side’s display on the weekend, and will rely on the experienced heads of Lucky Baloyi and Ndumiso Mabena to take them over the line.

However, it won’t be easy for Phunya Sele Sele as Arrows have one of the paciest attacks in the league with the likes of Lerato Lamola and Kudakwashe Mahachi within their ranks, meaning that the Celtic defence will continuously be on their toes throughout the counter.

Finally, in the night’s other action, Maritzburg United welcome Ajax Cape Town to the Harry Gwala Stadium as they look to continue their winning streak. The Team of Choice are currently unbeaten in the 2017/2018 season, having defeated Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN 8 and Platinum Stars on the opening days of the league season.

Coach Fadlu Davids has clearly cemented his name as one of South Africa’s top up and coming coaches, and Ajax will need to be wary. But the Urban Warriors are also going through a transitional phase of sorts with Rivaldo Coetzee set to join Scottish giants Celtic and Travis Graham side-lined as he looks for a move away from the club.

Nevertheless, come Wednesday night both sides will be looking to build on their previous results which should make for an exciting encounter. Maritzburg though, will see themselves as slight favourites going into the clash due to their record in the fixture. Out of 20 previous meetings between the two sides, Maritzburg have walked away with victory on eight occasions, while Ajax have won six.