Orlando Pirates have finally confirmed the full schedule of their pre-season tour of Spain which will take place in July.
Pirates will return to Spain for the third year in a row for pre-season and have lined up four exciting friendly matches against European sides.
The Buccaneers will begin their pre-season friendly matches with a clash against English League One club Bolton Wanderers on July 11 at the Marbella Football Centre.
Bolton already confirmed the fixture earlier in the week, expressing their excitement at taking on the South African giants.
Who else will the Soweto giants face in Spain?
“The fixture is given extra resonance by the shared history of defender Mark Fish. The South African international became a champion at Orlando Pirates, winning the African Champions League in 1995, before joining Wanderers two years later after a spell with Italian giants, Lazio,” the club said via its website.
Pirates will then take on Pafos FC, who have just been crowned champions in Cyprus, a tricky match given not much is known about them, after which back-to-back matches against Spanish teams will follow.
The match against Pafos will be staged on July 13 and then a clash with Las Palmas, who were relegated from La Liga in the just-concluded season, will follow four days later.
Pirates to complete pre-season against familiar opponent
Pirates will complete their tour of Spain with a match against a familiar opponent as they take on Spanish second division side Granada for a second straight year, this time on July 19.
Granada and Pirates faced off last July, when they played out a 1-1 draw in their final pre-season match, and the Soweto giants will want to avoid defeat again.
Pirates are hoping to have a coach in place before they depart to Spain with reports indicating that the club is in advanced talks with Rulani Mokwena to take over from Jose Riveiro.
