Wits captain on Pirates danger man Gabadinho: 'He runs and shoots from anywhere'

• Thulani Hlatshwayo believes there are three players Wits should be wary of when they take on Orlando Pirates.
• The star defender has detailed the tactics used by the Buccaneers in their opening match of the Premiership.
• Wits will travel to Pirates' bio-bubble home-ground Ellis Park for their clash on Saturday.

Bidvest Wits captain Thulani Hlatshwayo says his team-mates "will have to be alert at all times" when they face Orlando Pirates on Saturday.

Wits were held to a 1-1 draw by log leaders Kaizer Chiefs on Wednesday, while the Buccaneers restarted their campaign with a goalless stalemate against Mamelodi Sundowns on Tuesday.

With the Premier Soccer League (PSL) continuing in its protected bio-bubble on Friday, Hlatshwayo has detailed the attacking threat the Buccaneers pose ahead of the mouth-watering encounter.

"We know what kind of a team Pirates is and they're speedy team. Their front three or front four, they are quick and use their pace most of the time. It's similar to the games we played against Sundowns and Chiefs," the defender told media on Thursday.

"With their front three, as much as they (Chiefs) did not really give us a problem last night, with the combination play of Sundowns we had to do a lot of shifting, a lot of movement because they move a lot.

"They don't really have an out and out striker. So, they play between the pockets and I believe Pirates will do that with (Augustine) Mulenga. I watched the game against Sundowns. Mulenga would drop and they will play the balls on the sides and try to use their pace."

The defender added that he was looking forward to playing against his former Wits team-mate Gabadinho Mhango.

He highlighted that he was aware of Mhango’s ability but signalled that the Buccaneers had more firepower up front other than the Malawian international.

"Obviously we have played against Gaba (Mhango) and we've played with Gaba. We know what kind of a player he is, he's rational and he just goes, he plays, runs and shoots from anywhere," he continued.

"He has always done well for himself in the league and he's our top scorer for the league and obviously he will want to add more on his tally. We wouldn't say we know his strengths and weaknesses.

"But we have to be alert at all times because as much as there's Gaba, there’s also (Vincent) Pule, there's (Fortune) Makaringe and they have quality going forward."

Kick-off for Saturday's clash at Ellis Park is scheduled for 18:00.