Orlando Pirates v Mamelodi Sundowns

1 October, Orlando Stadium, 15h30

Too soon for Romeo?

Transfer deadline day saw Mamelodi Sundowns hand Kermit Erasmus his clearance as the striker went in search of increased pitch time. A day after the window slammed shut, free agent Romeo signed a contract with former club, Orlando Pirates. That addition

came just in the nick of time for the 32-year-old to make his second Bucs debut in the MTN8 semi-final first leg this Saturday. However, Erasmus hasn’t played a single minute since April, more than five months ago, and his entire 2021/22 season only saw him on the field for 658 minutes. With talk that the former Feyenoord and Rennes forward refused to play in a friendly for Masandawana against Township Rollers on 18 September and that he had ceased training with the first team at Chloorkop, he could be seriously lacking in match fitness. It’s not clear how involved Jose Riveiro was in the signing of Erasmus, but it’s a safe assumption that this is more of a ‘club signing’. The Spanish coach will need to get to know the diminutive forward and there is significant competition for a place in the starting line-up. Pirates have largely

only played one central striker this term in a 3-4-2-1 set-up. Riveiro has used Zakhele Lepasa alongside Bienvenu Eva Nga for 103 minutes this season (one start v Royal AM in the last round) and we’ve seen Lepasa play a paltry six minutes at the same time as Kwame Peprah. With Evidence Makgopa on the

comeback trail after injury, it leaves five strikers for potentially just one position. Erasmus will need to impress or he could soon find himself on the bench

most weeks. The one benefit is that the stocky attacker could play as one of the two number 10s, a role many think suits him better than being an outright centre-forward. If Riveiro gives the twofooted forward some minutes against Sundowns, whether it’s from the start or as a substitute, expect Erasmus to be desperate to impress. We could see him shooting on sight as he looks to prove his former employers wrong. However, in reality, this match may come too soon for Erasmus to have much (or any) involvement, so supporters may need

to wait a couple of weeks longer to see Romeo in the starting XI.

Who’s battling who? Aggression on steroids: Shalulile v Sibisi

There is zero doubt that Peter Shalulile is key man for the Tshwane giants in this match. The Namibian

striker has six goals in his last seven matches after a two-match ‘drought’

by his lofty standards at the start of this season. He netted three strikes and assisted twice in two league matches against the Buccaneers last season, but that was against some older defenders as Happy Jele, Thulani Hlatshwayo and Ntsikelelo Nyauza all had trouble getting to grip with Shalulile. Arguably Pirates’ best off-season signing has been ex-Golden Arrows captain Nkosinathi Sibisi in central defence. His aggression

and pace has been a brilliant addition, especially in the heart of a back three. The last time Sibisi faced off against Shalulile, Abafana Bes’thende leaked six goals as the striker netted a hattrick. This battle looks absolutely crucial because the defender is capable of marking strikers out of a match but also making rash errors or risky challenges inside the box. Riveiro will have to decide between another two hyper aggressive centre-backs in Olisa Ndah and Tapelo Xoki to Sibisi’s right. The problem is that Shalulile attracts so much attention that the likes of Themba

Zwane or Marcelo Allende could thrive, as could Abubeker Nasir if he shakes off his injury problems.

Dynamite duel: Jali vs Ndlondlo

Despite his constant omission from the Bafana Bafana squad, Andile Jali has been playing some excellent football in the Downs engine room over the last 18 months. In the side’s narrow shape, often resembling a midfield diamond or ‘Christmas tree’ with two 10s off a lone striker, the Matatiele-born man is the glue. He protects the defence, drops to start the build-up and can run the game with his calmness on the ball. Whilst Ndlondlo is a very different type of footballer – more attacking and less physically imposing – he can give Pirates a player who can dictate affairs from between the lines. That immediately puts the Soweto giants’ new signing, assuming he starts right away as a number 10 in Riveiro’s 3-42-1 system, in direct confrontation with the whirlwind that is Jali. That battle

is going to be absolutely crucial in the outcome of this first leg match. If Bucs can get Ndlondlo finding pockets either side of Jali as well as marking him in certain phases to stop him getting possession, then Sundowns will have two big problems to contend with.

Downs have dominated Bucsoflate

Pirates have had a torrid time in recent matches against the Chloorkop-based outfit. The latter have won the previous five meetings, with some really heavy thrashings of Bucs thrown in for good measure. The last Pirates victory was in January 2020 when Josef Zinnbauer was still their head coach. The last four games have seen Sundowns score 13 goals, with just two conceded to the Sea Robbers. At this stage, it almost feels like a mental barrier as even decent

periods for Pirates still sees them thrashed by fulltime. In the Nedbank Cup in 2021, they had equalized and the score stood at 1-1 at half-time. By the end, Downs had won 4-1. In April 2021, the score was 0-0 after 57 minutes, but the Tshwane giants netted three goals in a 23-minute blitz and cruised to a 3-0 win. Last season saw Sundowns do the league double over Pirates. In Orlando, it was 0-0 at half-time, but Peter Shalulile notched a secondhalf brace in a 2-0 triumph. Then, in December, another thrashing followed for the Houghton-based side. After a tight goalless first half, Ndah was substituted due to injury. Sundowns reveled with the Nigerian off the pitch and scored four times in 26 minutes in

the second half in a 4-1 humiliation. In a two-legged tie like this, a first half draw may be a decent result ahead of

travelling to Polokwane for Sundowns’ ‘home’ leg at Peter Mokaba Stadium.

We have to beat Sundowns Dejan Miladinovic – Pirates supporter

“This is going to be a spectacular game and this is what we’ve been waiting for, all along. We are so happy that the club made such important signings right at

the end of the transfer window when they brought back Kermit (Erasmus) and signed (Ndabayithethwa) Ndlondlo.

The most important thing is that no one knew about these two signings, even the media. I’m so happy and I called Screamer Tshabalala to thank and congratulate him for the job well done. Honestly, he was very happy to receive that call from me and I believe we will be ready for Sundowns and make sure

that we go all the way to the final of the MTN8. Happy days are back for our

team and we have to beat Sundowns.”

I feel for Pirates Robert Nkosi – Sundowns supporter

“On September 14th, Orlando Pirates were sitting second on the log on 14 points, while Kaizer Chiefs was 14th on the log. The two Soweto giants had 14 in common and I thought it would be perfect for the two to combine and form Zone 14 FC, ha ha This semifinal clash agains Pirates is going to be an exciting g everyone knows how hot t downs team is. No one ca pound-for-pound with our t have top quality, cream of t Teams put double-deck bus ever they face us, but they st feel for Pirates because they show up and try to prevent scoring a lot of goals. That’s can keep this match exciting the second leg. We are going Pirates out of this tournamen own backyard, before givin certificate of participation wane. To all the supporter buy your tickets and arrives We are tired of being interrupted by late supporters who want to know who scored, when they miss our early goals.”