Orlando Pirates have options all over the pitch with a strong Bafana Bafana contingent. This makes picking a best XI pretty difficult.
Even after the sale of Mbekezeli Mbokazi to Chicago Fire, the squad still looks stacked.
What’s your ideal starting XI?
Best Orlando Pirates XI when everyone is fit and available
Chaine, Van Rooyen, Sibisi, Sesane, Hotto, Mbatha, Nduli, Appollis, Mofokeng, Moremi, Makgopa.
This XI contains seven Bafana Bafana players who will be at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
Orlando Pirates captain Nkosinathi Sibisi is back in business, starting their last three matches across all competitions and the Sea Robbers have kept clean sheets in all three.
That’s not a coincidence. He’s also been a starter for Bafana Bafana in their last three outings, a sequence in which they’ve conceded just one goal.
Defensive units win titles, and Sibisi seems to be the marshal of Hugo Broos’s back four. Sibisi’s importance also takes on new meaning after the sale of Mbokazi.
Mofokeng might follow Mbokazi out of Orlando Pirates next
Youngster Relebohile Mofokeng has 43 direct goal contributions after 105 outings for the Sea Robbers.
Mofokeng claimed an assist against Durban City, his second of the campaign, after an uncharacteristically slow start to the season.
He was the man of the match against Gavin Hunt’s KwaZulu-Natal side, too.
Some fans and pundits think Mofokeng needs to move abroad to maximise his potential.
Mofokeng already has some big goals on his CV, including a 96th-minute winner against Stellenbosch in 2024 to secure an MTN8 three-peat for the Sea Robbers and a winner against Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2024 Nedbank Cup final.
Youngsters Mpho Padime and Cemran Dansin are two midfield gems waiting in the wings who can see a clear pathway to first-team football after Mofokeng’s emergence.
What would be your best Orlando Pirates XI with no injury concerns?
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