The crucial fixture takes place at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, seven days after the Buccaneers claimed a significant advantage in the tie with victory in the away leg.

Form Guide

A month and a half into the new season, the home side remains unbeaten and come off a dramatic league win at home to Chippa United in midweek. This was their fourth victory in as many matches played in Soweto and their fifth win overall.

In their seven outings so far in the ongoing campaign, the only blemishes to the Soweto Giants’ record have been stalemates against Madagascar champions Disciples and local rivals Cape Town City, both occurring away from home.

Having claimed their first away win last Saturday against Galaxy, they will be looking to carve a seamless path into the next round of the Champions League with another victory.

Meanwhile, the visitors will head to Soweto determined to launch another comeback, having done so in the previous round after losing the away leg to Namibia’s African Stars with a 1-0 scoreline. Dinaledi, as they are affectionately known, avenged the defeat at home and forced the tie into penalties where they eventually prevailed.

Their three Champions League fixtures have been their only outings so far this season, with their domestic league only set to get underway later in the month.

Team News

Changes could be seen in both camps in the second leg, with the likes of Thabang Sesinyi and Onkabetse Makgantai likely to feature more prominently for the visitors after starting from the bench in the previous encounter.

For the hosts, there could be bigger roles for Boitumelo Radiopane and Thuso Moleleki, who both made cameos in midweek.

Zakhele Lepasa and Goodman Mosele remain on the mend after sustaining ankle and knee injuries respectively, while a return to action looms for Paseka Mako who recently resumed full training.

Players to Watch

Attacking midfielder Gilbert Baruti gave Pirates a few nervy moments after his halftime introduction in Gaborone and will be determined to convert his chances in Soweto. The 32-year-old is an experienced campaigner in continental football and a regular feature on the scoresheet. 

With goals a non-negotiable heading into the deciding leg, the visitors will rely heavily on international forwards Wendell Rudath and Sesinyi, who will both have a big role in keeping their continental campaign alive.

Head-to-Head

Galaxy will go into the fixture with a degree of confidence having beaten Pirates once in the recent past. This was when they won 1-0 at home in the last preliminary round of the 2023/24 Champions League, eventually going through on penalties after the Buccaneers levelled the tie in the second leg.

The Soweto Giants have however been the more dominant of the two sides over the years, winning four of their five previous encounters and only conceding one goal while finding the net seven times.

TV Coverage and Ticket Info

The fixture is scheduled to kick off at 18:00 and will be broadcast live on SABC Sport and SABC+. Live updates will be posted across Orlando Pirates’ social media channels.

Tickets to attend the match are available online at TicketPro and selected outlets nationwide.

The result gives the Buccaneers a significant advantage in the two-legged match-up which is scheduled to conclude at Orlando Stadium in seven days. Looking to avoid a potential banana peel, the Buccaneers had no trouble controlling possession in the opening stages of the contest but could not find a way into the hosts’ penalty area. This continued until well into the second quarter, as the visitors were unable to
make the most of a succession of set pieces that fell their way.

Monnapule Saleng did draw a save from Jwaneng goalkeeper Goitseone Phoko by going
direct with a free kick from a fair distance out seven minutes from the break, with the show stopper making a comfortable stop in the end.

Pirates kept pushing for the opener, which arrived on the stroke of halftime when Tshegofatso Mabasa capitalised on a half-hearted clearance from the home side’s defence to put the visitors ahead from the edge of the box.

Dinaledi came out guns blazing in the second half and had a chance to draw level two
minutes from the whistle. However, Gabriel Baruti misfired with his effort at goal, pushing the
ball well wide. Relebohile Mofokeng had an opportunity of his own at the other end, but was unable to
double the Buccaneers’ lead as he found the side-netting.

The two sides continued to trade shots at goal as Baruti brought out an acrobatic save from
Sipho Chaine, who tipped what looked like a goalbound shot over the bar. Thalente Mbatha
followed suit with an attempt from a fair distance out, but a deflection inside the box ensured
a comfortable save for Phoko.

The game maintained a high tempo, with Pirates eventually pulling two-goals clear in the
77th minute through Deon Hotto, who got on the end of a pass from Patrick Maswanganyi
before firing into the back of the net.

With the Buccaneers looking to see the game out, the home side had a late opportunity
through a last-gasp free kick, but could not make the most of it as Chaine was untroubled by the resultant shot. The final whistle sounded moments later, with the Soweto Giants taking a handy lead to the deciding leg.

Pirates XI: Chaine, Ndah, Sesane, Van Rooyen (Maela 86’), Hotto, Mbatha, Makhaula,
Saleng (Gilberto 86’), Maswanganyi (Rasebotja 86’), Mofokeng (Sibisi 76’), Mabasa
(Radiopane 69’).

The fixture takes place on Saturday afternoon at the National Stadium in Gaborone and is
another crucial tie for the Soweto Giants who have to navigate one more hurdle in their
quest for an extended run in Africa’s most prestigious club competition.

Form Guide
They go into the clash as the more battle-hardened of the two sides, having been involved in
knockout football domestically and in continental competition during the early part of their
2024/25 campaign. Pirates kicked off their season with a 3-1 win over SuperSport United in the quarter-finals of the MTN8 before seeing off Cape Town City over two legs of their semi-final tie, which
finished with a 3-1 aggregate score.

In between squaring off against their local rivals, they had to face the challenge posed by Madagascar outfit Disciples, who held them to a goalless draw in the away leg of the previous round of the Champions League. This was before the Buccaneers posted a convincing win at Orlando Stadium, winning 4-0 to set up another date with the men from Botswana.

For the home side, the fixture is only their third since successfully defending their Botswana
Premier League campaign. Their only other matches in the new season came in the first
preliminary round against Namibian outfit African Stars. Galaxy overcame what appeared to be a significant setback when they fell to a 1-0 defeat in their away leg. They however rallied back to force the tie into a penalty shootout, where they prevailed with a 7-5 scoreline.

Playing their third straight game at the National Stadium, they will look to make the most of
home-ground advantage ahead of the deciding leg in Soweto.

Team News
Both teams head into the fixture having spent a big chunk of the past week without a few key
first team squad members, who had departed for national duty. Goitseone Phoko and Benson Mangolo were both starters as Botswana suffered defeat at home to Egypt earlier in the week, and were among eight Galaxy players called up to the national team.

Pirates meanwhile have welcomed seven players back to camp after their involvement in the
Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers. Jose Riveiro’s options could also soon be boosted by the imminent return to action of the likes of Tapelo Xoki and Bandile Shandu, while newly signed right-back Deano van Rooyen is finally available for selection after his move from Stellenbosch.

Players to Watch
Former Platinum Stars forward Thabang Sesinyi will be key in providing the spark up front, where he has often been deployed on the right while also capable of operating on the opposite flank as well as the centre-forward position. The veteran attacker could partner up with fellow forward Omaatla Kebatho, whose goal in the previous round proved crucial in setting up the clash against the Buccaneers.

Mangolo’s energy at either half of the pitch is an asset both on defence and attack, while
Phoko is an experienced figure between the sticks.

Head-to-Head
The two sides have had a few run-ins in continental football over the past few years, locking
horns in both the Champions League and Confederation Cup. Pirates’ first visit to the Botswana giants yielded a convincing 3-0 win in the first leg of the play-off round of the Confed Cup before they rounded off the tie with a 1-0 win at home.

Jwaneng had their revenge in the most recent encounter between the two sides as they
prevailed with a 2-1 aggregate score after winning 1-0 at the National Stadium and holding
the Soweto Giants to a 1-1 draw in the second leg at Orlando Stadium.

TV Coverage
The fixture is scheduled to kick off at 16:00 (SAST) and will be televised live on SABC Sport
and SABC+. You can also keep in touch with the action as it happens by following live
updates posted across Orlando Pirates’ social media channels.