A rare Friday night assignment is lined up for Orlando Pirates as they travel to take on Richards Bay in a Betway Premiership clash at uMhlathuze Stadium.
It’s the Buccaneers’ first trip to the newly revamped venue on the coast of KwaZulu-Natal and yet another do-or-die clash in their quest for league honours. They’re on a mission to add three more points to their collection with only a handful of fixtures remaining in the ongoing season.
A sell-out affair is expected in this crucial league fixture which also serves as the Buccaneers’ final voyage to KZN in the ongoing campaign.
The Opposition
After featuring in and out of the top eight throughout the first half of the season, Richards Bay have endured a difficult 2026 where they have mostly battled for winning momentum. They currently sit in 11th place after only two of their matches played in the new year managed to yield three points.
However, the last of these victories came in their most recent outing where they beat the visiting Stellenbosch 2-1 to end a three-match losing streak.
The Natal Rich Boyz now set their sights towards the Buccaneers, eyeing a second consecutive win. It’s a feat they have only achieved once this season, back in September when they claimed narrow victories against Stellenbosch and Magesi.
Despite battling to string wins together for much of their campaign, uMhlathuze Stadium has proven to be a difficult place to conquer for visiting teams with Richards Bay only losing twice in 11 home matches. The most recent of their home defeats dates to October, a rare bright spot amid what has been an increasingly tough season.
The KZN outfit will likely be without the injured Gabadinho Mhango, who is yet to feature this year alongside experienced defender Tshepo Mabua, who could miss yet another fixture having been out injured since November.
Bucs Team News
Pirates meanwhile are looking to power past another side in their stride towards a possible league title, having done so with their two most recent opponents. They followed up a 6-0 win away to TS Galaxy with an equally dominant 5-0 victory over Lamontville Golden Arrows at Orlando Amstel Arena in midweek.
The six points earned in those fixtures took their tally for the season to 54 in 23 matches, while the 11 unanswered goals scored have established them as both the league most potent attacking team and best defensive side.
Now back on the road for the 12th time this season, the Buccaneers are aiming to maintain their status as the best performers away from home. They have won eight of their 11 games as visitors, losing just once and playing to two stalemates, last dropping points on their visit to Sekhukhune in January.
They have enjoyed each of their three previous league visits to KZN, claiming all nine available points against Golden Arrows, AmaZulu and Durban City respectively, while scoring seven goals and only conceding once.
With the trip to the coast coming just days after Pirates’ most recent outing, coach Abdeslam Ouaddou could shuffle his pack with the likes of Makhehleni Makhaula and Evidence Makgopa possibly featuring after remaining as unused subs in midweek.
Head-to-Head
Pirates have encountered Richards Bay twice already this season, winning through a solitary goal from Tshepang Moremi in a Carling Knockout semifinal in Durban before Oswin Appollis and Evidence Makgopa both got on the scoresheet in Soweto to help the Buccaneers to a 2-0 home win in the Premiership. They now head to uMhlathuze in search of a league double – a feat they aim to achieve for the second consecutive season having won each of the last three league meetings between the two sides.
Since first crossing paths in the league back in October 2022, the Buccaneers have been the dominant side in this fixture. They have collected four wins – split evenly home and away – with no defeats recorded on the road. where they have only dropped points once in three matches via a stalemate in their first league visit to the KZN outfit.
The Natal Rich Boyz meanwhile boast a single win in the seven matches against the Soweto Giants. The goal scored in that encounter remains their only goal in the fixture, while they have conceded a total of seven goals.
TV Coverage and Ticket Info
The game is scheduled to get underway at 19:30 and will be televised live on SuperSport PSL. Live updates will be posted across Orlando Pirates social media platforms.
Tickets to attend the match are sold out.
SOURCED FROM THE CLUB’S WEBSITE.
