After delivering a spectacle in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-finals, Orlando Pirates and Cape Town City will look to push themselves to the limits one more time to secure a place in the all-important climax.
Pirates will run out for the second leg clash at Orlando Stadium on Saturday at 15:00 sitting pretty in an advantageous position.
This after they scored an important away goal during the 1-1 draw at Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday.
Young players Relebohile Mofokeng of Pirates and Jaedin Rhodes of City found the back of the net in tough conditions in the Cape.
But the Citizens coach Eric Tinkler will be encouraged by the gallant fight displayed by his troops to come back against the Mighty Buccaneers going into the clash.
Here is everything you need to know about this weekend’s clash at the historic venue.
ROUND TWO! Pirates, City take the fight to Orlando Stadium
The Soweto giants remain favourites to proceed to the final where they will have a shot at winning the trophy for the third consecutive time.
But City’s performance in the first leg showed they are not prepared to go down without a fight.
Tinkler proved he has a team that can go toe-to-toe with coach Jose Riveiro’s well-oiled machine.
After taking the lead early into the opening half, the Capetonians took the game to their stronger opponent and were rewarded with Rhodes’ strike in the final half.
Bucs shot-stopper Sipho Chaine, who has finally broken into the Bafana Bafana squad, stood between City and victory on the night, pulling crucial saves to be named Man of the Match.
Tinkler has a nice combination of experienced stars such as Kamohelo Mokotjo, Fortune Makaringe, Thamsanqa Mkhize, Darwin González and Hashim Domingo who are complemented well by impressive youngsters such as Rhodes, Heaven Sereets, Jody Lee Ahshene, Kayden Francis and others.
But with all that said, the Cape outfit must be prepared to work twice as hard at Orlando Stadium.
While they did well to keep Pirates under pressure in the second half in Cape Town, the poor pitch at DHL Stadium didn’t make it easy for the Sea Robbers to play their normal game to build from the back.
The Soweto giants are comfortable at their base and will be expected to fire from all cylinders in front of their passionate supporters.
Patrick Maswanganyi had a poor game in Cape Town and will be eager to redeem himself at home.
How to watch?
The match will be broadcast live on SABC 1 or SABC Plus and SuperSport PSL (channel 202). On SuperSport, the build-up and expert analysis will start at 14:00.
Also, different SABC radio stations will broadcast the clash. You are spoilt for choice!
Betting odds
The Hollywoodbets bookmarkers have Pirates as favourites to clinch a victory in regulation time.
13/20 Pirates | Draw 5/2 | CT City 4/1
🚨 #𝐌𝐓𝐍𝟖 𝐓𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 🚨
— Official PSL (@OfficialPSL) August 29, 2024
Tickets for the second leg matches of the MTN8 semi-finals are available for R80 at TicketPro outlets and online.
🎫: https://t.co/0VKsgtC0hk pic.twitter.com/pf1lZGfsnX
Orlando Stadium
The iconic venue nestled in the hearts of Soweto township is most likely to be packed to the rafters by the ghosts.
Orlando Stadium has a capacity of 40,000 and the Buccaneers’ supporters have been coming out in numbers to support the team recently.
Tickets for the match are available for R80.00 at Ticketpro outlets and online.
Last meeting
It was the 1-1 draw in the first leg on Wednesday. It was a game of two halves, Pirates took the lead after 15 minutes while City got back in the game just after the hour mark. What a game!
Head-to-head
By holding Pirates to a draw on Wednesday, City halted their losing streak of three back-to-back matches against Pirates.
In the last five outings, the Sea Robbers have claimed three victories against City’s one. The other clash ended in a draw.
1 - Not only did he provide an assist for the 1st goal vs Cape Town City, Thabiso Sesane also had the most touches (75) and passes (61) on the field. No teammate had more successful passes (48), nor sent more passes into the opposition's final third (7). Navigating. #MTN8 pic.twitter.com/fSQnrY4uds
— OptaJabu (@OptaJabu) August 29, 2024
Players to watch
For the visitors, Rhodes will be expected to continue causing problems for the hosts as he did on Wednesday. Tinkler appears to have discovered a precious gem in Namibian forward Prins Tjiueza. The 22-year-old was just difficult to contain in the first leg.
Left-back Tshegofatso Nyama will also be a key player for the visitors in stopping Pirates’ speedy wingers and initiating attacks.
For Pirates, all eyes will mostly be on their dangerous attackers such as Monnapule Saleng, Maswanganyi, Mofokeng, and Kabelo Dlamini to provide needed goals.
Supporters saw Gilberto in action after he came as a second-half substitute, and he is likely to get more minutes at Orlando Stadium.
1 - In addition to his goal, Jaedin Rhodes also attempted more tackles (5) than any other player on the field last night. Indeed, no player had more shots on target (3) or more duels than him (19). Bustling. #MTN8 pic.twitter.com/ZHcegUKgxD
— OptaJabu (@OptaJabu) August 29, 2024
