Kings Park hosts Orlando Pirates once more as they conclude their stay in Durban with a Betway Premiership fixture against Chippa United on Sunday.
A different challenge awaits the Buccaneers who were reacquainted with the famous sports venue earlier in the week. They resume their quest to build momentum in their title defence as they gear up for a clash against a Chippa outfit chasing its first win of the season.
The two sides remain unbeaten in the Premiership, something both will be eager to preserve with early points carrying great importance in what is a long journey towards league supremacy.
The Challenge Ahead
Match Day Three of the ongoing Premiership campaign arrives with Pirates sitting on four points collected in their two opening fixtures. They dropped two points in their midweek assignment against AmaZulu, relinquishing an early lead after failing to settle the contest early through a slew of missed opportunities.
Having been forced to share the spoils in the one-all draw against Usuthu, the Buccaneers now take to the Kings Park turf once more. They will however have to do without a few first-team regulars in Thalente Mbatha and Evidence Makgopa, while midfielder Sihle Nduli is another doubtful starter after his early withdrawal from Wednesday night’s fixture.
The midfield department could soon be bolstered by the imminent return of Kabelo Dlamini and Masindi Nemtajela, both in Durban with the rest of the squad, while Sebastian Pedersen and Sifiso Luthuli add to the forward options ahead of Sunday’s assignment.
For the men from the Eastern Cape, the start of the 2026/27 season has been far from the ordinary as they have had to make a home away from home out of two venues located in different provinces early on. Their campaign kicked off not far from Sunday’s venue at King Zwelithini Stadium, where they played to a goalless stalemate away to Lamontville Golden Arrows. They then set up base in Dobsonville against Richards Bay, where they collected another point via a 1-1 draw.
After narrowly escaping the threat of relegation in the previous term, Chippa will be eager to not let their nomadic start to the season upset their quest to pick up their first maximum-point haul of the current campaign.
Standing before them is a champion-sized test against the Soweto Giants, desperate to improve on their midweek performance with a clinical showing on the weekend.
What Was Said
Nkosikhona Ndaba (Orlando Pirates):I believe that if we can improve our finishing and make the most of the opportunities we create, we can win a lot more games.
Brandon Truter (Chippa United): The Pirates game represents an opportunity for us to gauge as a team where we are because we are facing the champions. So, that is motivation in itself playing Pirates; that’s a motivation for the players to put their best foot forward.
Head-to-Head
Pirates are chasing a sixth consecutive league win against Chippa, having recently completed back-to-back doubles against them. They have collected points in each of the last seven matches between the two sides, only failing to claim a maximum haul when they were held to a 1-1 draw at home early in the 2023/24 season.
The Chilli Boys’ last win in the fixture dates back to August 2022, when a late Abdi Banda header handed them a rare three points at the Orlando Amstel Arena. That result ended a six-year dry spell where they had fallen on the losing side in 11 league outings against the Buccaneers.
Overall, the two sides have crossed paths 26 times in the Premiership, with the Soweto Giants emerging on the winning side on 19 occasions. Chippa meanwhile boast four wins, with their last home victory dating back over a decade ago, while only three of their duels with Pirates have finished in a stalemate.
