With the Soweto derby likely to be a sold-out affair, all is set for Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates to revive their rivalry in the battle for three points at FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
On Thursday afternoon, over 80 000 tickets had been sold as football supporters from all over the country are eager to see who of the resurgent outfits will continue to improve their results.
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Following Pirates' 1-0 win over Sekhukhune United on Tuesday, Chiefs bagged a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Cape Town Spurs on Wednesday, excitement has been evident from both sets of supporters building up to the derby.
For Pirates, coach Jose Riveiro has reiterated the importance of doing well in the league, especially after his side exited both the CAF Champions League and Carling Knockout, though the task to win it might not be easy as defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns are still enjoying a huge points difference at the summit of the log with a game in hand.
Riveiro will need all hands on deck for the team to achieve its goal and to get his first Soweto derby win in the league.
Five potential match winners for Pirates:
Thembinkosi Lorch
Lorch has been a much-needed addition to Bucs' line-ups since his return last month against Spurs in the Carling Knockout.
The attacker collected Man of the Match awards from both fixtures the Buccaneers played in the inaugural competition, as well as from league clash on Tuesday and Riveiro has been pleased with his contribution.
For his impressive performances, the 30-year-old has had some in the fraternity discussing his potential return to Bafana Bafana ahead of next year's Africa Cup of Nations.
Lorch will no doubt want to continue with his form on the weekend and he enjoys matches against Amakhosi.
In 14 matches in all competitions against Chiefs, Lorch has scored five goals and bagged three assists.
Monnapule Saleng
Compared to his performances of last season, Saleng has had a slow start as he hasn't played as much as he would have liked although he is still regarded as one of the influential players in the Pirates squad.
In 13 matches in all competitions this season, Saleng has scored two goals and provided one assist and he will be the first one to admit that improvement will be needed in his game to replicate the performances of last season which made him walk away with the MTN8 Last Man Standing accolade and the DStv Premiership Players' Player of the Season award.
The 25-year-old scored 15 goals in all competitions last season and provided 11 assists.
After failing to come off the bench against Babina Noko, the winger will hope to reclaim his place in the starting line-up in the big one on Saturday.
Relebohile Mofokeng
Following his return from England where he had a trial with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Mofokeng has continued from where he left off with his impressive performances for the Soweto giants.
The 19-year-old provided an assist for the only goal of the match netted by Thabiso Monyane as Bucs finally returned to winning ways on Tuesday after some disappointing results in recent matches.
With the derby expected to attract big viewership from around the world, Mofokeng will hope to have a great game against Chiefs to enhance his chances of an overseas move.
Karim Kimvuidi
It has not taken long for Kimvuidi to become a fan favourite at Pirates for his inspiring performances and there could be no better opportunity to further impress than against Chiefs in front of a packed FNB Stadium and he knows.
Before joining Pirates in July, the Democratic Republic of Congo attack-minded player had been linked with a move to the Major League Soccer, following his impressive debut PSL season with Maritzburg United.
Like with Mofokeng, it will be an opportunity for the 21-year-old dreadlocked player to impress against Chiefs for the interest that the fixture attracts from all over the world.
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Evidence Makgopa
Makgopa has managed to convince Riveiro that he is one of the players capable of leading the line for the Buccaneers and has made notable progress with his performances in recent matches.
Due to his love-hate relationship with the fans so far in the season, the towering striker will aim to silence his critics with a good performance, and what a special way it would be to do it against Chiefs should he be selected to play.
Having scored his first league goal last week against Spurs, the 23-year-old will be happy to get another one or two in arguably the biggest game in the PSL calendar to prove his doubters wrong.
