Orlando Pirates aim to collect maximum points on Wednesday evening to keep alive their slim hopes of winning the Premier Soccer League crown.
The Soweto giants will be away at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium playing Chippa United, chasing a place in the top eight.
Current Form and Head-to-Head Record
Bucs have played 16 games in the league and collected 12 wins with four losses. Half of those defeats have come in the last three PSL games; they fell 4-1 to the defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns before another shock 2-0 loss just last weekend at the hands of Marumo Gallants.
The Chilli Boys have recorded six wins, four losses, and eight losses from the 18 games played in the ongoing campaign. They have won just one game from the last four PSL outings, losing twice and drawing once.
In the head-to-head record, Bucs have won the last three games in a row across all competitions. The latest meeting was in the league and it ended 2-1 in favour of the Soweto giants.
What They Said
The Sea Robbers legend Benedict Vilakazi believes the league is gone and Bucs should now target finishing second.
“It’s done. It’s done there is no way we [Orlando Pirates] will recover 18 points,” Vilakazi told iDiski TV.
“Yes, I know that we still have to play against them again at Orlando [FNB] but still it’s not going to be enough.
“You now if we drop points against teams like Marumo Gallants with all due respect and they have shown that they need three points more than we need the three points. If we can’t beat teams like Marumo Gallants and we want to go and challenge Mamelodi Sundowns then we have to sit down and think if we have a proper plan in terms of really going for the league because this is not a tournament or a 100m race.
“It’s marathon and in a marathon, you have to prepare yourself because sometimes along the way you need to change your running shoes because of the challenges along the route.”
Team News and Probable XI
The Chilli Boys have no suspended players and are hopeful of having their best on the pitch against Pirates. It is interesting to see whether Andile Jali, who was on target in the last meeting, will once again cause problems to his former team. He has been and out of the squad owing to fitness concerns.
Bucs are optimistic about having their creative player Patrick Maswanganyi back after suffering a knock in the previous outing. Goalkeeper Sipho Chaine is suspended which paves the way for Melusi Buthelezi.
Chippa Probable XI: Nwabali, Madingwane, Makhele, Moloa, Modise, Maarman, Kammies, Baloni, Philander, Kwayiba, Eva Nga
Pirates Probable XI: Chaine, Van Rooyen, Xoki, Sibisi, Hotto, Maswanganyi, Makhaula, Nkota, Mbatha, Mofokeng, Mabasa
Where and How to Watch
The game will be live on SuperSport Premier Soccer League's channel 202 from 19.30 hours.
