Pirates’ Makhaula makes a painful admission ahead of game against Sundowns – ‘It is sad’

Orlando Pirates are set to host Mamelodi Sundowns in the Premier Soccer League assignment that will be staged at the Orlando Amstel Stadium on Wednesday.

This will be an interesting game since the stakes are high; the Sea Robbers are on top of the table with 38 points. six more than the defending champions who are currently placed second.

This will be the fourth time this season the two heavyweights are meeting in the Mzansi football across all competitions. The two initial encounters were in the MTN8 semi final; the first leg ended 1-1 in regulation time, the same as the second one before Bucs advanced after winning the the shootout.

In the Premier Soccer League at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium, the sides settled to a 1-1 draw once again, which was a decent result for the Abdeslam Ouaddou-led Bucaneers.

Makhaula unhappy with Sundowns’ dominance

The Soweto giants midfielder Makhehlene Makhaula concedes it is tough to see Masandawana winning back-to-back PSL titles. As a matter of fact, the Brazilians have won the league nine times in 10 years and eight times in a row.

“For me, I take each and every game as a big match but with Sundowns everyone is looking forward to the game because I think somewhere, somehow it is sad always seeing them win the league,” the veteran midfielder told the media.

“I can say that winning will make us happy because everyone is looking at this fixture and everyone is saying it could be the decider of the league but I’m saying what if we play a draw?

“What if we win or they win? And there are also other teams that are competing because we’re not only playing Sundowns. Those points against the other teams are important. So we need to push them hard so that they can see to win the league,” Makhaula concluded.

Having won the MTN8 and Carling Knockout this season, the Sea Robbers are hoping to become the first team in South Africa to claim all the four top-tier crowns. They are also in the Nedbank Cup Round of 16.