Eleven days ago, Loftus Versfeld watched the champions of Africa go out. Since then Mamelodi Sundowns have won twice, climbed back to the top of the league and got into the habit of answering hard questions quickly. Tonight brings another one, and it comes with a familiar face.
This is our Sundowns v Golden Arrows preview: a knockout cup quarter-final at 19:00, the first tie of the last eight, against a side Sundowns have already met three times this season. Arrows won one of those meetings. In all three, Sede Junior Dion scored.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Fixture | Mamelodi Sundowns v Golden Arrows, knockout cup quarter-final |
| When | Tuesday 3 November 2026, 19:00 SAST |
| Where | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria |
| Tickets | Online only, through Open Tickets (iDiski Times) |
| Coaches | Miguel Cardoso (Sundowns), Mandla Ncikazi (Arrows) |
| The log | Sundowns 1st, 26 points from 10; Arrows 10th, 8 points from 9 |
Sundowns v Golden Arrows preview: first of the last eight
The other three quarter-finals are due on the weekend of 7 and 8 November, iDiski Times reports, with the PSL still to confirm the details. This one comes first, five days before Sundowns face USM Alger in the CAF Super Cup on Sunday. Both the PSL’s fixture list and the club’s own list now have it at Loftus Versfeld at 19:00.
That gives Sundowns two big nights in five days, then the FIFA international break. It also means the winner tonight has a semi-final place in the bag before anyone else has kicked a ball in this round.
Sundowns: the reply after Wiliete
The setback still frames everything. A goalless first leg in Angola and a 1-1 draw at Loftus sent Sundowns out of the CAF Champions League on away goals, as our report from that night tells it. Four days later they were back at the same stadium, and Siyanda Ndlovu’s first-half goal against Marumo Gallants, set up by Iqraam Rayners, carried them into this round. The details are in our last 16 report.
Then came Saturday in Rustenburg. Thabang Matuludi headed two, Rayners and Antonio van Wyk added more, and a 4-1 win over Durban City put Sundowns back above Orlando Pirates, as we reported on Saturday night. Two wins since the exit, five goals scored, one conceded. The PSL’s log this morning has Sundowns on 26 points from 10 games, one ahead of Pirates, who have a game in hand.
Cardoso is not getting carried away. “Victories over Gallants and City were good but they should not make us lift our feet off the ground, because if we do that we will miss some steps,” he said in comments reported by The Herald on Monday. He was just as blunt about the calendar: “There is no time for a lot of rest because after the Arrows match we have another important match on Sunday.”
Golden Arrows: a new coach, and no time to coach
Arrows arrive in a very different place. On 22 October the club parted ways with Pitso Dladla and announced the return of Mandla Ncikazi as head coach, and EWN reported that the club’s statement presented him as one of its own, a coach who understands its culture and traditions. Ncikazi comes back from Orlando Pirates, GetMoreSports notes.
The first days went well. Two days after the announcement, Arrows put four past Chippa United in the last 16, a result covered in our recap from 24 October. The league has been harder. On Saturday night AmaZulu beat them 1-0 at the Princess Magogo Stadium, Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya scoring midway through the second half, and the PSL counts it as Arrows’ second league defeat in a row. Sowetan and GetMoreSports both describe it as Ncikazi’s first match back. Arrows are 10th, with one league win from nine games.
Ncikazi knows what he is up against, and it is the clock as much as Sundowns. Quoted by Sowetan, he said “there’s not much time. We have another game on Tuesday,” explaining that he wants to work on parts of the team’s game while matches keep coming. “But that’s the responsibility of a coach,” he added.
Team news
Sundowns: the big question is in goal. Ronwen Williams did not play in either win since the CAF exit, with Ricardo Goss keeping goal against Gallants and Durban City, according to the PSL’s line-ups. The Herald reports that it is unclear whether Williams will be available tonight. We found no reason given by the club or by Cardoso, and we will not guess at one. Cardoso did sound hopeful about his squad in general: “We have been suffering a lot of losses, but players are coming back and we will have reinforcements that will make us stronger,” he said, as reported by The Herald. He named nobody.
Golden Arrows: we found no injury news from the club or from a reliable outlet before publication. Against AmaZulu on Saturday, Dion and Sabelo Sithole both started, and the PSL’s report names them as Arrows’ main attacking outlets.
The team sheets, as always, will tell the real story about an hour before kick-off.
Three meetings already: the head-to-head this season
Tonight is the fourth meeting of the season. Sundowns have won two, Arrows one, and every one of them has been close.
| Date | Match | Score | Arrows scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday 23 August | Sundowns v Arrows, MTN8 semi-final, first leg, Lucas Moripe Stadium | 0-1 | Dion |
| Sunday 30 August | Arrows v Sundowns, MTN8 semi-final, second leg, King Zwelithini Stadium | 2-3 | Dion, Philani Khumalo |
| Sunday 6 September | Arrows v Sundowns, Premiership, King Zwelithini Stadium | 1-2 | Dion |
The MTN8 tie is the one Arrows will remember. They won the first leg in Tshwane through Dion’s finish after 38 minutes, and the second leg finished 3-2 to Sundowns, which made it 3-3 on aggregate. Sundowns went through on away goals and went on to beat Pirates in the final. A week later, in the league in Durban, Ndlovu put Sundowns ahead, Dion equalised with 14 minutes left, and Teboho Mokoena won it with a powerful curling strike two minutes from time, the PSL’s report shows.
Three games, three Dion goals, two Sundowns wins. That is the puzzle in one line.
Key players
- Sede Junior Dion, Golden Arrows. He has scored against Sundowns three times in three games this season, and he started on Saturday. If Arrows are going to cause an upset, it probably runs through him.
- Thabang Matuludi, Sundowns. Two headers against Durban City, his first goals since moving from Polokwane City, The Citizen notes. Set pieces matter in cup ties.
- Siyanda Ndlovu, Sundowns. Scored the winner against Gallants in the last 16, and the opener in the league win over Arrows in September.
- Ricardo Goss, Sundowns. Kept goal in both wins since the CAF exit. If Williams is not available, the job is his again.
What is at stake
For Sundowns, a semi-final place and a third straight win before the Super Cup. Cardoso put the whole fortnight into one sentence, in comments carried by The Herald: “My job is to make the players believe and create trust between themselves because we still have a lot to do.” After the way their CAF campaign ended, every trophy left on the table matters more.
For Arrows, this is the shortest road to rescuing a season that has given them one league win. A cup run would give Ncikazi time and belief. Beating Sundowns at Loftus would give him both at once.
Our view: Sundowns are top of the league, at home and in form, and they should be favourites. But Arrows have already beaten them once this season, and they have a striker who keeps finding the net in this fixture. If Sundowns treat it as a stepping stone to Sunday, they could trip on it.
How to watch
Kick-off is 19:00 SAST at Loftus Versfeld. Neither the PSL’s listing nor the club’s named a broadcaster when we checked this morning. GetMoreSports, citing ESPN, reports that the match will be available on SuperSport.
Tickets are sold online only, through Open Tickets, iDiski Times reports, and the PSL’s fixture listing carries a ticket link. For everything else on the club, see our Mamelodi Sundowns page. Our match report follows tonight.
Frequently asked questions
What time is Sundowns v Golden Arrows tonight?
Kick-off is at 19:00 SAST on Tuesday 3 November 2026. Both the PSL and Mamelodi Sundowns list the match at that time.
Where is Sundowns v Golden Arrows being played?
At Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. Sundowns are the home side in the knockout cup quarter-final.
Are there tickets for Sundowns v Golden Arrows?
Yes, but only online. iDiski Times reports that tickets are sold through Open Tickets, and the PSL’s fixture listing carries a ticket link.
Who is the Golden Arrows coach?
Mandla Ncikazi. Golden Arrows announced his return as head coach on 22 October 2026, after parting ways with Pitso Dladla.
Have Sundowns and Golden Arrows played each other this season?
Yes, three times. Arrows won the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final 1-0, Sundowns won the second leg 3-2 and went through on away goals, and Sundowns won 2-1 in the league in September. Sede Junior Dion scored for Arrows in all three games.