Monnapule Saleng of Orlando Pirates celebrates goal with teammates during the DStv Premiership 2022/23 match between Marumo Gallants FC and Orlando Pirates at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg on 28 January 2023 ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Cape Town — Orlando Pirates have struck a purple patch which has seen the team bag three Premiership wins in a row after they defeated Marumo Gallants on Saturday.
It was a formidable display and it served as a warm-up match for this weekend's crunch fixture at Orlando Stadium against runaway Premiership log-leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
Apart from their red-hot form, Pirates will also be fuelled by their terrific run at home this season. After 18 matches, they have 28 points and 17 are from home matches. Their Soweto stadium has earned the nickname “Slaughterhouse”.
There is also Pirates' scoring ability, which has soared of late. They have scored nine goals in their last three matches and this goal glut coincides with the arrival of striker coach Scott Chickelday, a former Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers academy mentor.
The extra string to the club's technical staff bow has worked wonders and it remains to be seen if the improvement continues.
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Pirates will bring the best out of Sundowns. They will have it at the back of their minds in October they defeated Sundowns 3-0 in the MTN8 semi-finals.
The most feared player in the Pirates line-up is striker Monnapule Saleng, who has produced outstanding performances of late. He is not an out-and-out striker in the typical No.9 mould, but operates more like a No.10 who drifts between attack and midfield.
He is the team's leading scorer with seven goals in all competitions. He was far more prolific when he played for Free State Stars three seasons ago.
Pirates captain Innocent Maela and fellow centre-back Nkosinathi Sibisi have been the backbone of the side this season, and they will provide formidable defence in central positions.
Sundowns have now recorded 14 wins in a row, and top the league standings with 52 points. After 20 matches they have become the fastest club to 50 points in PSL history.
After defeating Sekhukhune United 2-0 on Saturday, they recorded an umpteenth clean sheet this season. The match saw Chilean Marcelo Allende sent off and he won't be running out against Pirates.
The match will be Sundowns' final league fixture before they play a Nedbank Cup match and then a succession of Caf Champions League games.
Pirates are targeting a Caf Champions League place next season, and three points on Saturday will set them nicely to reach that goal when the season ends in May.
After their match against Sekhukhune, opposition coaches may suspect that Sundowns do not take too kindly to pressure, judging by coach Rhulani Mokwena’s comments.
“The team is not built to absorb pressure and to defend deep in the block,” said Mokwena. “It’s not a squad that is profiled like that with recruitment and training.
“I’m not surprised that we still went and played the way we trained and even though it was very, very difficult we had some moments where we had to suffer which is good for us in terms of the big games that are still coming up with the Champions League.
“But we always show that we are prepared to run.”
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