Orlando Pirates News Today: Orlando to host Benni McCarthy, Bucs warned about Stars, & more…

Latest Orlando Pirates news in the last 24 hours, including the club being warned about African Stars, homework done on the Sea Robbers, Orlando Stadium to host Benni McCarthy’s Kenya, and more.

Pirates news as they break

Pirates warned about Stars

Orlando Pirates legend Tlou Segolela is worried that, although his former club appears stronger on paper than their next CAF Champions League opponents, history counts against them in a game of this nature.

Botswana’s National Stadium in Gaborone is set to become the centre of Southern African football this weekend as Orlando Pirates lock horns with African Stars of Namibia on Saturday in the first leg of the CAF Champions League second preliminary round.

Pirates legend: We struggle against SADC teams

Orlando Pirates legend Tlou Segolela is worried that, although his former club appears stronger on paper than their next CAF Champions League opponents, history counts against them in a game of this nature.

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— KickOff Online (@KickOffMagazine) October 16, 2026

The relocation follows Namibia’s current lack of CAF-compliant football facilities, making Gaborone a temporary home base for the Samba Boys, who played the home leg of their first preliminary round encounter at Lucas Moripe Stadium.

“On paper, African Stars have little chance against Pirates. However, football is decided by the players on the field and their commitment. We should remember that we played them in 2018 and won by only 1-0, which shows how difficult they can be,” warns Segolela, speaking to KickOff.

“Teams from SADC countries such as Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Eswatini always raise their level against Pirates. I do not know why, but we tend to struggle against them, and the matches are usually not high-scoring. Last time out, we were knocked out by a team from Botswana, and now we are playing in the same country.”

Abdeslam Ouaddou’s charges arrived in Botswana determined to secure a comfortable first-leg advantage. Reaching the lucrative group stage remains a key objective after being eliminated early last season.

Homework done on Pirates

African Stars captain Ronald Ketjijere has seemingly done his homework on Orlando Pirates ahead of their CAF Champions League second preliminary round first leg.

The Namibian will entertain the Buccaneers at the Botswana National Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The skipper insists they are well aware of Pirates’ strengths going into the clash as they look lay down a marker on ‘home soil’.

“Defensively, they are a transitional team, very fast in attacks, so we need to counter that. Obviously, a positive result will have us one foot in the Champions League group stage, which is a plus to us,” Ketjijere said, as per New Era live.

➡️ Stars Captain Ready For Bucs: 'We Need To Counter That'

African Stars captain Ronald Ketjijere has seemingly done his homework on Orlando Pirates ahead of their CAF Champions League second preliminary round first leg.

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— Soccer Laduma (@Soccer_Laduma) October 16, 2026

Stars head coach Gerald Günther claims his side will not fear the South African champions.

“Preparation is going very well; boys are working hard, mindset is in the right place, and we did some positive work back in Windhoek, and we are currently continuing the work here,” Günther said.

“We can’t allow ourselves to be fearful, we need to respect the opponent, but definitely not show any fear.

“We need to make sure that we try and keep Pirates on their back foot, make them defend and make sure that we are organised in our defensive structure.”

Orlando Stadium to host Benni McCarthy

Orlando Amstel Arena in Soweto will host the first leg of Bafana Bafana’s back-to-back 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Kenya next month.

Pitso Mosimane’s charges will welcome Benni McCarthy’s side on Friday, 13 November 2026, with kickoff set for 18h00.

After the encounter in Soweto, South Africa will travel to Nairobi for the return leg fixture scheduled for Tuesday, 17 November 2026.

The back-to-back AFCON qualifiers carry extra significance, as it marks the first time McCarthy will face his home country as head coach of the East African side.

To top it off, this match will also present a fascinating tactical battle on home soil between two of South Africa’s most respected tacticians, Mosimane and McCarthy.