The stakes will be heightened this Saturday at Orlando Amstel Arena when Orlando Pirates host Sekhukhune United for the decisive second leg of their MTN8 tie.
Very little separates the two sides halfway through their two-legged match-up which can still go either way pending the outcome of the deciding leg. It’s the Buccaneers who hold an ever-so-slight advantage at this point, following their slim victory in Polokwane.
Two prior fixtures played within the same week however add an extra layer to the upcoming encounter, with familiarity unlikely to be an issue and both sides well aware of what to expect from their opponents. It all remains in the balance ahead of a game which serves as the third and final act of a battle that has captivated fans over the past week.
The Challenge Ahead
One more showdown between Pirates and Sekhukhune now stands between either side and a place in the MTN8 final.
For Pirates, advancing means becoming the first team to appear in five consecutive finals in the 55-year history of top-eight competition. They face a determined Sekhukhune side, eager to push for their first top-flight final since the two teams met to decide the destination of the 2022/23 Nedbank Cup title.
The stakes are almost as high in Saturday’s match-up in Soweto, where the hosts go in not short on confidence following victories in their two previous fixtures. They drew first blood in the opening leg of the cup tie, claiming an all-important away goal through a first-half strike from Deon Hotto.
A hard-fought 2-0 league victory against the same opposition in midweek added to their winning momentum, but the Buccaneers will be as aware as anyone that they are still far from seeing off Babina Noko until their semifinal tie is completely decided. It will take a disciplined performance in the decisive leg, where the Limpopo outfit is expected to come out guns blazing as they look to overturn their deficit and secure a spot in the final.
Sekhukhune’s bid to do so has however been hit with a setback in the absence of head coach Cedric Kaze, who will not be able to take up his usual spot in the dugout on Saturday. The Burundian mentor was shown red on Tuesday, with his assistant Paulus Masehe taking over his duties in the technical area for the rest of the league encounter.
That development should nonetheless not deter them from looking to defy all odds by staging a famous comeback. The feat in itself is expected to be a challenging one, with Pirates unbeaten in the competition since a 1-0 defeat to Stellenbosch at a similar stage of the 2023 edition.
It’s a result that proved inconsequential as the Buccaneers advanced en route to the second of their four successive titles. They now head into this particular clash aiming to avoid such nerves as they look to take their reign in the MTN8 even further.
What Was Said
Abdeslam Ouaddou (Orlando Pirates): I know it won’t be easy for us to reach the final. If we don’t find solutions, it will be very difficult.
Paulus Masehe (Sekhukhune United): There’s nothing that’s left for us besides taking the game to Pirates and that would be the motivation itself, and to also give ourselves a better chance to get the final.
Head-to-Head
Victory in the away leg made it three wins in as many cup fixtures for Pirates against Sekhukhune, while the solitary goal scored took their goal tally to eight with only one conceded. The more recent win in the league meanwhile also placed some daylight between the two sides overall, with the Buccaneers now sitting on eight wins and four defeats in 14 games played across competitions.
Most of the Buccaneers’ wins have come as hosts, with four occurring at the Orlando Amstel Arena plus one more in a cup final played at Loftus Versfeld where they had been drawn as the home side.
While they have mostly bossed their home games, the visitors are also no strangers to success at the Arena. They won twice in succession over the two previous seasons, stunning the Soweto Giants with a 1-0 league victory on each occasion.
TV Coverage and Ticket Info
The match is scheduled to kick off at 15:00 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport PSL and SABC 1. Supporters can also stay updated with the action as it happens by following live coverage and match updates across Orlando Pirates’ social media platforms as well as the Match Centre on the Club’s official website. Tickets to attend the fixture are available only on OpenTickets.
SOURCED FROM THE CLUB’S WEBSITE.
