Nie Cele
Wounded Orlando Pirates will have to beat Castric Stars FC , a NFD outfit if they harbor any hopes and dreams of reaching Nedbank Cup Quarter Finals when they lock horns at Orlando Amstel Arena this evening .
Ezikamagebhula are fresh from a painful 2-1 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns in a Betway Premiership encounter midweek.
On paper experience favours’ Pirates in this encounter by virtue of having won this prestigious trophy back to back in a row under their past Spanish Gaffer Jose Riveiro .
Furthermore, Bucs are the second most successful side ever in the Nedbank Cup competition ending a nine-year trophy drought.
During a Nedbank Cup last 16 Pre match press conference during the week , Catric Stars coach, Bucs Mthombeni told journalists they are more than ready for the match.
“Good thing we are playing a team that is on fire. When playing against them you need to prepare well because they play transition football. We need to guard against conceding an early goal. If we can beat them our brand and support can immensely grow and chances of a sponsorship possibilities can also become a reality.”
Bucs coach Abdeslam Ouaddou told journalists their opponent is a competitive team and they are taking that match very serious.
“They are fourth in the NFD league table. It’s a team that have some qualities. There are no more small teams in the cup competitions. A simple small team can challenge you if you don’t put an effort. For us it’s an advantage because we are playing at home. We are planning to play the game quickly.”
