Pirates and Celtic face off in grim battle
ORLANDO Pirates and Bloemfontein Celtic have visited hell so often this season that it is starting to look a lot like home.
One result might not be enough, but three points at the Dr Molemela Stadium today, would offer the winner much-needed reprieve and even a path out of the wretched place they find themselves in.
The Buccaneers are having a season to forget‚ made worse by this being the year the club will celebrate its 80th anniversary.
The Ghost have not been given any reason to celebrate as Pirates flirt with finishing outside the top eight for the first time in the club’s history.
Pirates‚ in 10th place‚ might just be a point adrift of eighth- placed Ajax Cape Town but the club has been way behind the best teams in the country. In terms of the league‚ a top eight finish is the only thing they are playing for with the Nedbank Cup offering them a silver-lining.
They will look to start picking up momentum before they go into the Nedbank Cup semifinal on May 21 after slumping to back-to-back defeats by championship contenders Bidvest Wits and Mamelodi Sundowns.
Those defeats were a rude reminder of where Pirates find themselves this season‚ worlds apart from the top guns.
Coach Kjell Jonevret might have injected some belief in the team‚ but they will need more than that to shake themselves out of this slump.
Phunya Sele Sele also have problems of their own.
Their coach‚ Luc Eymael‚ still cannot sit on the bench because of the legal drama surrounding his move from Polokwane City to Celtic.
Lehlohonolo Seema’s stint as caretaker coach has been prolonged because of that.
While Celtic have played with more structure since Eymael’s arrival‚ their off-the-field problems have not helped a club that could be drawn into the relegation dogfight.
Four points separate Celtic from bottom-placed Highlands Park.
The fact that sides who are below Celtic – Chippa United‚ Free State Stars‚ Baroka and Highlands – still have to play each other should guarantee Celtic’s safety.
But they would not want to leave it to chance‚ which is why a victory at home is vital.