Orlando Pirates will be looking to get their DStv Premiership title bid back on track with a win over Cape Town City at the Orlando Stadium on Tuesday.
Kick-off is 7:30 pm CAT
Match background
Having booked their spot in the Caf Champions League second preliminary round with an emphatic 3-0 win over Comorian side Djabal Club on Friday, the Buccaneers have now turned their attention to the DStv Premiership where they are unbeaten in their last two matches.
Bucs were held to a 1-1 away draw by Chippa United in their last game in the domestic league and they find themselves placed 10th on the standings - 11 points behind leaders, Mamelodi Sundowns, but Pirates have two games in hand.
The Soweto giants will be up against a struggling City side that has lost its last three matches across all competitions and the Western Cape-based club doesn't look like a team that can challenge for a top-three finish in the league at the moment.
City find themselves placed eighth on the DStv Premiership standings, having accumulated six points from four matches and a win over Pirates would ease pressure on coach Eric Tinkler and also elevate the team on the table.
Previous meetings
This will be the 15th league meeting between Pirates and City since 2016 when the latter were established after purchasing Mpumalanga Black Aces' PSL status.
Both teams have recorded three wins each while eight matches ended in draws.
Their most recent meeting ended in a 2-1 win in favour of Pirates, who had the home-ground advantage at the Orlando Stadium in April 2023.
Bucs have never lost to the Citizens at home - recording three wins and four draws as the hosts.
What they said...
Orlando Pirates attacker Patrick Maswanganyi was pleased to have scored his first competitive goal for the Soweto giants against Djabal and he is now hungry for more goals.
“We are definitely happy that we have won, we could have scored more. We only managed to score three goals, but we are happy," Maswanganyi said.
"We managed to do it at home after scoring away from home, which was (also) important for us.
“I am very happy, especially to score at home in Orlando. It was important for me and I’m hoping to score more goals. It doesn’t matter if it’s home or away, I just want to help the team win."
Meanwhile, Cape Town City head coach Eric Tinkler is concerned with his side's struggles in front of goal, having failed to score in their last two matches.
“I've been saying for a long, long time now, the biggest issue we have is the final third," Tinkler said.
"But the fact of the matter is what I say here doesn't really matter because the newspapers will say three losses in a row. That's just the fact.
“You know, we had 69 per cent possession, more than 600 passes, more than 16 chances. And you lose from one mistake.”
Players who played for both teams
Local football legends Teko Modise and Mark Mayambela turned out for both Pirates and City during their playing days.
Lehlohonolo Majoro, Siphelele Mtembu, Aubrey Ngoma, Abubbeker Mobara, as well as Robyn Johannes, also played for the two clubs.
Kermit Erasmus is the only former City player in the current Pirates squad and the experienced striker could feature in Tuesday's match after recovering from an injury.
Mamelodi Sundowns loanee Thabiso Kutumela and Marc van Heerden are both current City players who have donned Pirates' famous black and white colours.
Players to watch:
Orlando Pirates
Zakhele Lepasa: The Bafana Bafana international is in the best form of his life, having found the back of the net eight times in Pirates' last five matches across all competitions.
If there is one player who can propel Pirates to a win over City it's Lepasa who has played an instrumental role in helping the Buccaneers win four of their last five competitive matches.
Cape Town City
Khanyisa Mayo: The current holder of the DStv Premiership Golden Boot award is yet to find the back of the net this season, but he remains a quality attacker.
Mayo scored the last time he faced Pirates at Orlando Stadium and the left-footed player will be confident of scoring again, and he helped his side collect maximum points.
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