Bucs set to pile on more misery for Chippa

Tshepo Ntsoelengoe

Orlando Pirates will be looking to register their first victory this season when they travel to the Eastern Cape for a meeting with Chippa United which will be played at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium tonight.

The Soweto giants head into this game following a disappointing 1-1 draw with new boys Highlands Park in their opening league game of the season last weekend. A clumsy mistake by goalkeeper Wayne Sandiland’s saw Pirates conceding a goal in the opening 15 minutes of the game before Justin Shonga ensured the Buccaneers got away with something from the match when he slotted home a penalty in the 62nd minute to level the scores.

Head coach Micho Sredojevic gave new players Kudakwashe Mahachi (pictured), Vincent Pule and 16-year-old Augustine Mahlonoko their first appearances in the team.

Mahachi, who joined Pirates following a stint with Golden Arrows has welcomed the competition at the Buccaneers and believes it will help every player to go up a level.

“It feels good to be part of this squad, we have quality and everybody is expected to work hard for the betterment of the team when they are given a chance to play.

“The level of competition in the squad is very high, but I see it as a good thing because we will all benefit from it in terms of growth as players,” said the winger.

“We are all geared up to improve game-by-game and looking at the way things have gone during the pre-season, I’m sure it is just a matter of time before we achieve our goals. We want to help the club get some silverware.”

Chippa, meanwhile, head into this game on the back of a 2-0 loss to Bloemfontein Celtic.

There is no doubt Dan Malesela will also be aiming for his first win this campaign going into this game, however, the Eastern Cape outfit don’t have a good record against Pirates with Sredojevic’s charges beating them twice in league matches last season.