Orlando Pirates midfielder Makhehlene Makhaula has insisted that the match between Mamelodi Sundowns and the Buccaneers will not be a league decider.
The Soweto giants lead Masandawana by six points, but the Brazilians have a game in hand. On Wednesday evening, the two teams will battle it out at the FNB Stadium in a Betway Premieship clash.
A win for Pirates will see them inch closer to winning their first league title in 14 years, while a defeat will see Downs close down the gap.
Makhaula has admitted that it hasn’t been easy for him to watch Sundowns lift the Betway Premiership for eight straight seasons.
“For me, I take each and every game as a big match but with Sundowns everyone is looking forward to the game because I think somewhere, somehow it is sad always seeing them win the league,” the Pirates midfielder said as per FarPost.
Makhaula said the Downs match will not decide the league, given his team still had other teams to play.
“I can say that winning will make us happy because everyone is looking at this fixture and everyone is saying it could be the decider of the league but I’m saying what if we play a draw?” the former AmaZulu star added.
Pirates eyeing their first league title in over a decade
“What if we win or they win? And there are also other teams that are competing because we’re not only playing Sundowns.
“Those points against the other teams are important. So we need to push them hard,” Makhaula said.
With 16 league matches remaining, a win for Pirates will put them nine points clear of Sundowns. With momentum on Bucs’ side, it will be difficult for Downs to come back should they suffer defeat on Wednesday.