The stakes will be heightened this Saturday at Orlando Amstel Arena when Orlando Pirates host Sekhukhune United for the decisive second leg of their MTN8 tie.
Very little separates the two sides halfway through their two-legged match-up which can still go either way pending the outcome of the deciding leg. It’s the Buccaneers who hold an ever-so-slight advantage at this point, following their slim victory in Polokwane.
Two prior fixtures played within the same week however add an extra layer to the upcoming encounter, with familiarity unlikely to be an issue and both sides well aware of what to expect from their opponents. It all remains in the balance ahead of a game which serves as the third and final act of a battle that has captivated fans over the past week.
The Challenge Ahead
One more showdown between Pirates and Sekhukhune now stands between either side and a place in the MTN8 final.
For Pirates, advancing means becoming the first team to appear in five consecutive finals in the 55-year history of top-eight competition. They face a determined Sekhukhune side, eager to push for their first top-flight final since the two teams met to decide the destination of the 2022/23 Nedbank Cup title.
The stakes are almost as high in Saturday’s match-up in Soweto, where the hosts go in not short on confidence following victories in their two previous fixtures. They drew first blood in the opening leg of the cup tie, claiming an all-important away goal through a first-half strike from Deon Hotto.
A hard-fought 2-0 league victory against the same opposition in midweek added to their winning momentum, but the Buccaneers will be as aware as anyone that they are still far from seeing off Babina Noko until their semifinal tie is completely decided. It will take a disciplined performance in the decisive leg, where the Limpopo outfit is expected to come out guns blazing as they look to overturn their deficit and secure a spot in the final.
Sekhukhune’s bid to do so has however been hit with a setback in the absence of head coach Cedric Kaze, who will not be able to take up his usual spot in the dugout on Saturday. The Burundian mentor was shown red on Tuesday, with his assistant Paulus Masehe taking over his duties in the technical area for the rest of the league encounter.
That development should nonetheless not deter them from looking to defy all odds by staging a famous comeback. The feat in itself is expected to be a challenging one, with Pirates unbeaten in the competition since a 1-0 defeat to Stellenbosch at a similar stage of the 2023 edition.
