LIVE | Orlando Pirates vs Sekhukhune United

Orlando Pirates return to league action on Tuesday night when they host Sekhukhune United at the Orlando Amstel Arena in a crucial early-season Betway Premiership encounter.

Kick-off is scheduled for 19:30, with three valuable points up for grabs as both teams look to strengthen their positions near the top of the table.

The match comes just days after the two sides met in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final, with Orlando Pirates taking a narrow 1-0 advantage in Limpopo.

Now the focus shifts from cup football to the league, with the Buccaneers aiming to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign.

Orlando Pirates looking to strengthen their position

Orlando Pirates have collected important points from their opening league fixtures, with their latest outing producing a convincing 3-0 victory over Chippa United.

That result moved the Buccaneers level on points with the other teams competing near the summit while also giving them a superior goal difference.

Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou will be hoping his side can carry their momentum into Tuesday’s fixture despite the demanding schedule.

“We still have the second half (leg) to play. We’ll rest the players and play the second leg in a week’s time. We’ll now focus on the league match,” Ouaddou said after the weekend’s cup clash.

With the title race still in its early stages, another victory could give Pirates an important psychological boost and strengthen their position at the top of the standings.

Sekhukhune looking to end Soweto run

Sekhukhune United currently occupy fifth position, just one point behind the teams leading the table.

Babina Noko have won two of their opening three league matches, beating Durban City 1-0 before responding to their only defeat with a 2-0 victory over Polokwane City.

Both victories came at home, however, and Sekhukhune United now face the challenge of securing their first away league win of the campaign.

They also have a formidable task ahead of them, with Orlando Pirates having gone 14 league matches unbeaten in Soweto.

Sekhukhune United coach Cedric Kaze believes his side can improve after their weekend cup encounter.

“We were the better team in the second half, we need to bring that into the next game and go in with a positive mindset from the beginning, trust our plan and I hope and pretty sure we will do better,” Kaze said.

Orlando Pirates seeking revenge at home

Despite their recent cup success, Orlando Pirates have struggled against Sekhukhune United in league football.

The Limpopo side won 1-0 at Orlando Amstel Arena in the opening match of the 2025/26 campaign before the teams played to a goalless draw in Polokwane later in the season.

Orlando Pirates have also lost their last two home matches against Sekhukhune United.

Their most recent league victory over Babina Noko at home came in November 2023, when Thabiso Monyane scored a late winner in a 1-0 victory.

Overall, the two sides have four league wins each, with two matches ending in draws.

The weekend’s 1-0 MTN8 victory gave Orlando Pirates a seventh win in all competitions against Sekhukhune United, alongside four defeats and two draws.