Bucs look to continue form
FORM: KEEN TO STRETCH THEIR UNBEATEN RUN AGAINST SUPERSPORT UTD Matsatsantsa will be well aware that the Soweto club are breathing right down their collars.
Orlando Pirates travel to Pretoria for a meeting with SuperSport United in a potentially mouth-watering DStv Premiership match at the Lucas Moripe Stadium today.
The Buccaneers are undoubtedly high on confidence following a sequence of good results heading into this match.
The last time the Soweto outfit lost a game goes back to early in February, when they were beaten 2-0 by Golden Arrows in a league clash.
From there, they managed to knock Uthongathi FC out of the Nedbank Cup, beat Cape Town City 2-0 in a league match, before registering a 4-0 aggregate win against Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy, to advance to the Caf Confederation Cup group stages.
Pirates will be keen to continue with their form against Matsatsantsa, who sit in second place on the log with 32 points after 17 matches, while Pirates are are in fifth place, having collected 28 points from the same number of matches.
Despite injury woes at Bucs, head coach Josef Zinnbauer should be pleased with the results they have turned out recently, as well as the possible return of striker Tshegofatso Mabasa, who has been out for weeks now, while Deon Hotto and Thembinkosi Lorch both missed the previous match against Jwaneng.
“We have information about Mabasa, he will be available for us, I’m happy about this. Lorch and Hotto will be back very soon. But we will see what happens in the lead-up to the United match, We have a very good medical team. They work very well with the players,” said Bucs’ German coach.
Meanwhile, Matsatsantsa will head into this game with their minds set on closing the gap at the top with their cross-town rivals Mamelodi Sundowns sitting at the top of the log.
SuperSport trail Downs by four points, with the Brazilians on 36 after 16 games.
Tembo, however, knows coming up against Bucs will be tough and his charges will have to be on top of their game.
“Another difficult team, difficult game. They are a team that has been doing well and it’s never going to be easy,” said the SuperSport coach.
Pirates won the first round meeting between the clubs 2-1.