City hope to avoid more red cards against Pirates
Battles between the clubs often produce fireworks
Cape Town City will be hoping to avoid another red card when they host Orlando Pirates in their DStv Premiership in their next match.
Discipline will be key for the Citizens as they prepare to welcome the Buccaneers in a pick-of-the-weekend match at CapeTown StadiumonSaturday (3.30pm).
Mpho Makola and Fagrie Lakay saw red in their past two meetings against the Soweto giants. Ironically, both dismissals came in the 33rd minute, when Makola got sent off in the bio-bubble and Lakay was sent off in the MTN8 quarterfinal. City won the biobubble encounter 1-0 andwent on to lose by the same scoreline in the cup match.
The red card in the cup match in October at Orlando Stadium made life difficult for the Cape side. Lakay’s careerthreatening tackle on new signing Wayde Jooste left the referee with no choice but to brandish a red card. Makola received two yellow cards in the first half of their league match in August.
But the Citizens hung on to clinch the three points. Encounters between the Citizens and Bucs are known to produce goals, and players treat them like cup finals.
Bucs shared the spoils with
Baroka in Soweto, while the Citizens held AmaZulu to a stalemate in Durban at the weekend. Bucs scored six goals, while City have netted on seven occasions in their league campaign.
The Citizens have beaten the Soweto giants on three occasions, while Bucs have edged them twice. Four matches ended in a stalemate. Their highest scoring games are 2-2 draws in 2018 and 2019.
Fixtures
Saturday: Cape Town City v Pirates, Cape Town Stadium, 3.30pm; Arrows v Swallows, Sugar Ray Xulu, 3.30pm; Tshakhuma v AmaZulu, Thohoyandou Stadium, 6pm; Maritzburg v Sundowns, Harry Gwala Stadium, 8.15pm. Sunday: TS Galaxy v Stellenbosch, Mbombela Stadium, 3.30pm; Baroka v Chippa, Peter Mokaba Stadium, 3.30pm