The Sea Robbers will look to quickly shrug off the Soweto derby loss to Kaizer Chiefs over the weekend to focus on Nedbank Cup, who have turned their form around under the stewardship of Dan Malesela.
2014 Nedbank Cup winners Orlando Pirates take on current Nedbank Cup champions, Marumo Gallants, in a clash that promises to be a good watch for soccer lovers.
The Sea Robbers will look to quickly shrug off the Soweto derby loss to Kaizer Chiefs over the weekend to focus on Gallants, who have turned their form around under the stewardship of Dan Malesela.
The former Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns player took over Gallants in November from Sébastien Migné who was fired after an altercation with the club’s technical director Harris Choeu.
Gallants had failed to register a win in the DStv Premiership before he took over, and since then, they’ve gone on to win seven games and managed to knick a point against Sundowns and Cape Town City in December.
This turn of form of course worries a Pirates team that still has one eye on the CAF Confederations Cup as well. Speaking to SuperSport, this is what Ezimnyama’s co-coach Fadlu Davids had to say about the Gallants ahead of today’s clash:
“They have the players that suit the coach, just if you talk about the three in the midfield, being able to rotate the ball and pass and move. They are on a fantastic run and they have got a clear playing identity. It’s something that resonates with us as well. With slight differences in relation to the intensity we play at and the speed, he [Malesela] has done a fantastic job so far. You can only admire and see the coach’s personality come through within the team and we know we’re going to face a tough opponent.”
Gallants reached this stage of the competition by beating Santos 2-0 in the Round of 32, while Pirates edged AmaZulu 1-0.
The last time these two teams met, which was their second head-to-head clash, the Buccaneers managed to win 2-1 at Orlando Stadium late in 2021. For this clash, a first domestic cup fixture between the two, they will be returning to the scene of their first-ever encounter, which took place in August and ended in a goalless draw.
In the league, Pirates haven’t recorded a win in their last three games, while Gallants have collected maximum points in their last three.
What will worry most Orlando Pirates fans ahead of this fixture is which ‘team’ of theirs will turn up between one that almost creates chances for fun and gets goals or the frustrating one that doesn’t do much in front of goal despite controlling possession.
David’s response, when asked about the return of strikers Zakhele Lepasa and Tshegofatso Mabasa from injury, suggests they still aren’t quite sure what their best forward line is.
“It is about us finding the right possibilities now that suddenly we have [six fit strikers]. And it’s about us finding that moment, that chemistry within the line-up, whether it was two strikers, whether it’s with one striker, and three number 10s or three players running beyond the striker,” he said.
The game kicks off at 18:00 and will be televised live on SuperSport PSL (Channel 202).
