Royal AM vs Orlando Pirates

Orlando Pirates’ only trophy success since 2014 was their MTN8 win two years ago and they are a club in desperate need of more joy after a difficult 2021/22 campaign that included an appearance in the

CAF Confederation Cup decider that would ultimately end in disappointment.

But they face a tricky away MTN8 quarterfinal at a venue that proved very tough for visitors in Royal AM’s maiden topflight campaign,

Indeed, it was their home form that was the driving factor behind their third-place finish.

They rallied from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Pirates at the Chatsworth Stadium in their final game of the campaign, and also reached the semifinals of the Nedbank Cup, where they lost to eventual champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

The other league meeting with Pirates last season ended 1-1 in Soweto, so for the winner in this tie, there is history to be made.

Pirates have a strange record in the

MTN8. They have reached the final of the competition four times since 2013, but in all the other five years in which they have competed, been knockout out in the quarterfinals.

They were back-toback winners in 2010 and 2011 during the ‘Double Treble’ campaigns, but lost to Platinum Stars(2013) and Kaizer Chiefs (2014) in finals since then.

Their 2020 triumph over Bloemfontein Celtic in the 2020 decider brought some monetary relief to The Ghost, but it proved a false dawn in terms of sustained trophy success.

Many of those Celtic players remain in the Royal AM fold after the status was sold to the KwaZulu-Natal club.

The team excelled last season well above expectations, in part due to the fact that coach John Maduka managed the integration of the Celtic and Royal Am squads expertly.

He has since left for Maritzburg United and so there will be some uncertainty over the prospects of the team in 2022/23 with a new technical team in charge.