Cape Town City and Orlando Pirates kick off the two-legged MTN8 semi-finals on Wednesday with both sides eager for a positive result to put themselves in a good position to clinch the R10 million prize money and the trophy.
Four teams, the defending champions Pirates, The Citizens, Stellenbosch FC and Mamelodi Sundowns, remain in the hunt for the MTN8 top honours.
Pirates have been pitted against City while last season’s runners-up Sundowns will battle Stellies for a place in the final.
But today, we focus on the first-leg clash between the Citizens and Sea Roobers scheduled for DHL Stadium on Wednesday at 18:00, after the game was postponed from Tuesday due to bad weather in Cape Town.
Here is everything you need to know about the clash.
The Sea Robbers eager to make MTN8 history, Citizens aim to end six-year trophy drought
Pirates are not just on a mission to defend their title but are determined to create history by becoming the first side to win this tournament three times in a row.
The Buccaneers have been dominant in the MTN8, winning it three times in the past four seasons.
They only failed to win the competition in 2021 when Masandawana won it.
The Jose Riveiro-coached heads to the clash on Tuesday in fine form after they drubbed Disciples FC of Madagascar by 4-0 to proceed to the next round of the CAF Champions League.
Pirates also showed their true class when they dispatched SuperSport United by 3-1 in the MTN8 quarter-finals.
So City will have to work twice as hard if they are to stop the in-form Soweto giants.
Having won the tournament back in 2018, The Citizens will be determined to go all the way once again.
However, their performance against Sekhukhune United in the quarter-final didn’t inspire confidence.
But also it should be noted it was their first game of the season and they would have worked on improving their game.
City have made exciting player recruitment such as Fortune Makaringe, Hashim Domingo, Amadou Soukouna, and Kamohelo Mokotjo.
Coach Eric Tinkler would feel he has a good enough team to compete for the top honours.
How to watch?
The showdown will be televised live on Supersport channel 203.
Betting odds
Pirates are favourites to win the first leg in Cape Town, but you can be guaranteed that the Citizens will not just roll over. The clash is most likely to be tightly contested.
5/2 Cape Town City | Draw 22/10 | Orlando Pirates 1/1
☠️ NEXT-MATCH ☠️
— Orlando Pirates (@orlandopirates) August 26, 2024
🏆#MTN8 1st Leg Semi-Final
🆚 @CapeTownCityFC
🏟️ DHL Stadium
⏲️ 19H00
📺 @SuperSportTV
📅 27 August 2024
⚫️⚪️🔴⭐️#OnceAlways #OrlandoPirates pic.twitter.com/RJHJGeNXIP
DHL Stadium
The world-class venue hosts football and rugby matches and is one of the stadiums built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
It has a capacity of 55 000 and the stands are likely to be dominated by the Sea Robbers fans even though they will be away from their home.
Pirates are one of the most supported teams in the country, and the nice brand of football they have been playing under Riveiro has helped to draw their supporters back to stadiums.
Cape Town’s R4.4 billion stadium still costs the city R55 million a year to maintain | @BISouthAfrica https://t.co/eTACOLcHit pic.twitter.com/7nQjLxtanZ
— News24 🇿🇦 (@News24) January 28, 2020
Last meeting
The last time the two sides met was on May 1 when Pirates claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory over their opponents, thanks to a brace by Tshegofatso Mabasa at DHL Stadium.
Head-to-head
The Sea Robbers have been dominating this fixture. In the previous five meetings, Pirates claimed three victories while City won just once and there has been a single draw in that period.
Players to watch
The Pirates squad boasts some of the most exciting players in the Premier Soccer League right now.
Stars such as Patrick Maswanganyi, Monnapule Saleng, Relebohile Mofokeng, Karim Kimvuidi, Thalente Mbatha and Kabelo Dlamini have been a joy to watch.
Tinkler and his men will need a solid plan to close these players down and have a better chance of winning the match.
City also have their dangerman in Domingo, Soukouna, Jaedin Rhodes, Darwin Gonzalez and Makaringe would be exciting to see how he fares against his former employers.
