Following a recent disruption to their schedule, it’s a return to domestic cup football for the Soweto Giants as they begin their venture to extend their reign as champions in the illustrious competition. They recently achieved a similar feat in the MTN8 where they bagged a third straight title. First up on their sights is a side that promises to provide a stiff challenge in what is one of a few all-Premiership match-ups in the opening round.

Form Guide

Knockout football has been a consistent feature for the Bucs throughout the season. They began their campaign with a successful MTN8 run which was quickly followed by involvement in the CAF Champions League preliminary rounds. They have recently advanced past the group stage through to the quarter-finals of the latter, with their cup record still only blemished by an early exit from the Carling Knockout.

The game against the Natal Rich Boyz arrives after a run of consecutive victories against CR Belouizdad of Algeria and Egyptian giants Al Ahly, while boasting four wins in their last five matches across competitions. Their only defeat in this sequence was in their most recent domestic outing, which was a league game away to Cape Town City which finished 1-0 in favour of the hosts.

In attempting to further cement their status as South Africa’s cup kings, Pirates cannot afford a similar slip-up against the men from KwaZulu-Natal who have had a brief but promising taste of cup football so far this season. They made it past the first two rounds of the Carling Knockout – going past Sekhukhune United and Cape Town City – before exiting in the semifinals.

While they have displayed glimpses of their ability to prevail in the pressure situations associated with cup football, similar success in the league has eluded them. They have so far amassed just two wins in 14 Premiership fixtures. They have failed to get over the line in four of their five most recent games, falling on the losing side three times while winning once and collecting a single draw.

With somewhat of a clean slate presented by their clash against the Buccaneers, the main item on their agenda will be to spark their season back to life with a famous victory. Their opponents, on the other hand, will go in determined to continue their dominance in the competition having played an impressive 10 matches since their last Nedbank Cup defeat.

Team News

Bucs coach José Riveiro will be forced to do a bit of shuffling at the back, due to the unavailability of defender Nkosinathi Sibisi. The 29-year-old is suspended for the fixture after picking up his fourth yellow card for the season in Cape Town.

Pirates will also be without Thabiso Monyane who is recovering from a hamstring injury picked up in the same fixture. A few more players are on the mend however, with Olisa Ndah and Goodman Mosele among those primed for a return in the near future.

Key Players

Sipho Chaine (Orlando Pirates): Key to Pirates’ excellent start to the season has been their defence, and the man between the sticks has been an important component in that regard. Chaine has kept six clean sheets in the league so far and 13 in all competitions, while his ball-playing ability adds an extra dimension to the team.

Yanela Mbuthuma (Richards Bay): The young centre-forward continues to grow into a key player for the Rich Boyz, effortlessly adapting to his role as the main man upfront. Half the goals scored by the hosts in all competitions this season have come off Mbuthuma’s boot while he also has an assist to his name, underlining his importance to the cause.

Head-to-Head

While recent form suggests a favourable match-up for the Buccaneers, they will be fully aware that there are never any guarantees in knockout football. Their hosts have showcased that at Moses Mabhida Stadium in the not-so-distant past when they edged past them on penalties during the second round of the 2023 Carling Knockout – a fixture that remains the only cup meeting between the two sides so far.

Aside from that particular upset, Riveiro’s men have had a slight upper hand in games against the KZN outfit as they boast wins in three of the six league games played between the two. The most recent of these was during the earlier part of the ongoing season, where Pirates only needed a solitary strike from Evidence Makgopa to collect all three points at King Zwelithini.

While not short of fireworks, their fixtures have not produced a flurry of goals with only five scored in regulation time throughout the seven encounters played to date. It is the Soweto Giants who lead comfortably in this regard as they account for four of these, while the Natal Rich Boyz only managed to find the net in their shock 1-0  win at Orlando Stadium towards the end of the 2023/24 league campaign.

TV Coverage and Ticket Info

The game kicks off at 15:00 and will be televised live on SuperSport PSL. You can also follow the action by keeping an eye on live updates posted across Orlando Pirates social media channels.

Tickets are available online at TicketPro as well as selected outlets nationwide.

With the first third of the campaign done and dusted, the young Buccaneers return to home turf determined to hit their stride. They have another coastal outfit on their radar ahead of what could be an exciting clash between two teams currently located on the top half of the table.

Form Guide

Pirates enjoyed success on their travels last weekend when a brace from striker Mehluleli Maphumulo handed them a dramatic 2-1 win over defending champions and current log leaders Stellenbosch. It was a welcome return to winning ways following the disappointment of the previous week when they fell to a 3-2 defeat against SuperSport United.

The victory closed the gap between themselves and the team from the Winelands to just two points. They however remain put in fifth place in what is already shaping up to be a tight race for top spot.

The Bucs Reserves have picked up 10 points in their last five games and are eager to improve their form on home turf. This is after dropping points against Magesi and SuperSport during the recent stretch of fixtures which only yielded four out of a possible nine points.

In Richards Bay, they are up against a side in near-identical form over the past five weeks where they have also tallied up 10 points. The KwaZulu-Natal outfit also came up short in a high-scoring encounter with the 2022/23 champions, who ran off 5-3 victors against them last Saturday.

Currently eighth in the standings, they head to the Vaal chasing a win that could narrow the gap between them and the Buccaneers to just a single point.

Head-to-Head

The 2023/24 season saw Pirates claim their first league double over Richards Bay, having fallen just short of achieving that feat in the previous campaign. They did so by beating them 2-0 in the away league before putting on a dominant display in their home game played at Dobsonville Stadium, where they raced to a comfortable 3-0 lead before clinching a 4-2 victory.

With the rivalry between the two teams only dating back to January last year, they have only crossed paths four times in the DDC. It is the Bucs Reserves who have had the upper hand, winning three of these matches while only dropping points via a goalless draw on the road during the final stretch of the 2022/23 campaign.

How to Follow Orlando Pirates Reserves vs Richards Bay Reserves

The match kicks off at 10:00 and will not be televised. Live updates will be shared across Orlando Pirates’ social media channels.

It only took a solitary goal in the first half for the Buccaneers to seal maximum points on their return to home soil. The result took their points tally to 21 points, their best return at this stage of the season in the PSL era.

Their return to Soweto came seven days after a successful league voyage to Mpumalanga and proved to be a tricky tussle against Richards Bay outfit fresh off a morale-boosting cup win over the weekend. The visitors were quick off the blocks and spent a considerable amount of time inside Bucs territory, mainly attacking through set pieces as they cleverly drew fouls in the opposition half.

Goalkeeper Sipho Chaine however remained largely untroubled as his defence held firm. The first real shot of the game at the opposite end through Thalente Mbatha who went for goal in the 19th minute with a trademark long range effort that was deflected out.

More shots flew in towards the Natal Rich Boyz’ goal from range, with Patrick Maswanganyi misplacing his attempt in the 25th minute. Thabiso Monyane found goalkeeper Ian Otieno’s gloves with a venomous shot from outside the box a minute later, leading to the breakthrough for the hosts.

It was striker Evidence Makgopa who provided the decisive touch as he appeared at the right place at the right time to latch onto the rebound before finding the net from close range.

The Buccaneers maintained their intensity despite edging in front and nearly went two ahead in the 33rd minute when another long-range attempt from Mbatha was kept out by Otieno. The Kenyan international was called upon once more just seconds later, this time making an easy save off Mohau Nkota who could not get enough behind his shot after he was released by Relebohile Mofokeng.

His next save was nowhere near routine as he was forced into an acrobatic stop by a seemingly goalbound attempt from Monyane, who went for goal from a long way out. Nkota and Thabiso Sesane each went close on the stroke of halftime, but the visitors were able to limit their deficit to just one goal by the time the players headed back into the tunnel.

Having finished the first period fully in control, Pirates began the second half as they ended the previous one with a close attempt from Makgopa who went narrowly wide after linking up with Nkota. The teenage attacker then drew a save from Otieno with a shot of his own in the 54th minute, which was followed by an off-target effort from replacement midfielder Kabelo Dlamini.

It remained one-way traffic for much of the second half as defender Nkosinathi Sibisi also got in on the action with a header from close range, kept out by the Natal Rich Boyz shot-stopper.

Starved of chances at goal, Richards Bay’s debutant midfielder Lindokuhle Zikhali looked to manufacture a dream first league appearance with a speculative shot near the halfway line after spotting Chaine a few yards away from his goal. His attempt was however comfortably off target.

Otieno pulled off two late saves late in the contest, denying Monnapule Saleng before keeping out a header from Tshegofatso Mabasa. There was no further drama as the home side saw out the remaining minutes to continue their remarkable start to the 2024/25 season.

Pirates XI: Chaine, Sibisi, Sesane, Monyane, Hotto, Makhaula (Dlamini 46’), Mbatha, Maswanganyi, Nkota (Saleng 74’), Mofokeng (Mako 90+2’), Makgopa (Mabasa 74’).

It’s the final league fixture before the upcoming international break for the Buccaneers, who are looking to further strengthen their grip on top spot. They face a determined Richards Bay outfit eyeing a move up the table after a tough start to the campaign.

Form Guide

The home side enters this game with an unblemished league record, having won all six of their fixtures so far. Fresh from a solid 2-0 victory away to TS Galaxy, they’ve managed to keep the pressure on second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns, maintaining a three-point lead.

Pirates have been solid at both ends of the pitch this season, averaging two goals per match while showcasing a rock-solid defence that has only been breached twice. Three additional points will guarantee that they secure their hold on the top of the standings prior to the break, while also sealing their best start to the league campaign in the PSL era.

Standing between them and a seventh straight win is a Richards Bay side that will take some degree of confidence to the fixture. The KwaZulu-Natal team recently battled their way to the Carling Knockout Cup semifinals, edging out Cape Town City in a tense penalty shootout after 120 minutes of goalless action.

This was however only their second win in all competitions this season, with their only other triumph coming in the opening weekend of Premiership action. The Natal Rich Boyz have since managed to pick two points from their next five league matches, falling on the losing side three times to land in 12th place.

Having narrowly escaped the axe last season, they have a chance to begin their ascent into safety early on this term. This will require a drastic change in their luck in front of goal, as they head into the showdown with the Buccaneers with none scored in open play in their six most recent games.

Team News

Striker Yanela Mbuthuma is not available for selection as he sits out the second game of his two-match ban after picking up a red card in the league defeat against Sekhukhune United. He is one of two players suspended for the clash after midfielder Langelihle Mhlongo also received his marching orders over the weekend.

There are no suspension worries for the Buccaneers ahead of the clash. However, new signing Deano van Rooyen could miss out once more as he continues his recovery after picking up an injury against AmaZulu at Orlando Stadium.

Key Players

Makhehlene Makhaula (Orlando Pirates): One of the unsung heroes in the Bucs setup, Makhaula has enjoyed a more prominent role in the team over the past year. The midfielder has been key in maintaining control in the centre of the park while also thwarting the opposition’s efforts at launching attacks.

Somila Ntsundwana (Richards Bay): With a knack for troubling defences, Ntsundwana has often stepped up on big occasions and will look to deliver another top performance against the Buccaneers. Primarily deployed on the left wing but versatile enough to cover various attacking positions, Ntsundwana’s directness and eye for goal make him one of the visitors’ key attacking components.

Head-to-Head

Pirates will look to seal a league double early in the season when they clash with Richards Bay. The KZN outfit is among the six teams to have suffered defeat at the hands of the Soweto Giants, who earned a hard-fought 1-0 win at King Zwelithini Stadium in September with Kabelo Dlamini providing the game’s only goal.

That result created a bit of daylight between the two sides in terms of head-to-head results, with the Buccaneers slightly edging it with two wins in their five league encounters while the Natal Rich Boyz boast a single win.

Victory at Orlando Stadium has so far eluded the hosts, however. Their first home league fixture against Tuesday’s opponents finished goalless and was followed by an upset defeat towards the end of last season when Sanele Barns’ first-half strike handed the visitors all three points.

TV Coverage and Ticket Info

The game starts at 19:30 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport PSL. Orlando Pirates will share live updates across the Club’s official social media platforms.

Tickets are available online on TicketPro as well as selected outlets nationwide.