LIVE | Orlando Pirates vs Stellenbosch FC

Orlando Pirates are preparing to host Stellenbosch FC at Orlando Stadium on their return to Betway Premiership action on Wednesday night.

In what has been a busy start to the season, the Buccaneers take to the field for the fifth time in a little over three weeks as they look to get off the mark under the points column in the league.

They are up against a Stellies side that has been just as engaged early on in the campaign as the two lock horns in a crucial tussle for a much-needed three points at both ends.

The two sides are set to clash after landing in the bottom half of the table, some distance away from their usual residence in the standings.

They have both been active in cup competition, where they have registered far better results than what they have so far managed in the league.

Confidence-boosting win

Stellenbosch come off a confidence-boosting cup win over the weekend after grabbing the driving seat in their two-legged MTN8 semi-final tie against Sekhukhune United with a 2-0 win at Danie Craven Stadium. This is after advancing to the last four through a hard-fought 3-2 victory at home to AmaZulu.

They are set to embark on their second away league outing in as many matches, having kicked their Betway Premiership campaign with a home defeat to the Buccaneers’ Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs.

Stellies registered their first league point last Wednesday away to Magesi when Langelihle Phili’s 19th minute opener was cancelled out eight minutes later by Kgomotso Mosadi with the two sides eventually settling for a one-all draw in Sheshego.

They have rotated their squad throughout the campaign, with the vast majority of their playing personnel at least featuring on the bench in the lead-up to their trip to Soweto.

Out of the confirmed squad members, only reserve goalkeeper Dublin Boon is yet to make the match-day squad in the four games played, while the likes of Simthandile Shishi and Vuyolwethu Andreas are also yet to debut despite featuring as unused subs in the MTN8.

They could be considered by coach Steve Barker ahead of Wednesday’s fixture, which is the first of two crucial outings facing the men from the Cape Winelands in the current week.

Bucs Team News

Orlando Pirates meanwhile return to the Betway Premiership desperate for points after dropping to 15th place in the standings following back-to-back defeats to kick off the season.

They lost 1-0 at home to Sekhukhune United in their season opener before another defeat on their visit to Marumo Gallants, who overturned a one-goal deficit to register a 2-1 win at Dr Molemela Stadium last Tuesday.

Their two other games have been in the MTN8, where they eased past Polokwane City in the quarter-finals before fighting back to secure a 1-1 draw via a late Kamogelo Sebelebele strike in their home leg of their semi-final clash against Mamelodi Sundowns last Saturday.

The two cup fixtures are the only games where they have avoided defeat so far in the season and they will host Stellenbosch hoping that their encouraging performance from Saturday signals a quick turnaround in fortunes as they aim to steer themselves towards more familiar territory in the top half of the standings.

That can only be achieved by registering their first league points of the season on Wednesday night.

The Soweto giants have the personnel capable enough to do so, as demonstrated by the likes of Sihle Nduli and Lebone Seema, who have stepped up amid injuries to cult heroes such as Nkosinathi Sibisi and Makhehleni Makhaula, while the players such as Thabiso Sesane and Selaelo Rasebotja also continue to recover after suffering knocks during the latter half of the previous campaign.

Head-to-Head

In what is still a relatively new rivalry, which kicked off in the 2019/20 campaign, matches between Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch have not lacked the fireworks normally associated with age-old rivals.

Wednesday night’s encounter will be the 13th meeting between the two sides since Stellies’ ascent into the topflight.

The Buccaneers are one victory short of the Maroons’ tally of four wins during this period, having gone two seasons without registering a victory.

They have only managed one point out of a possible 12 in this period, and it came through their most recent trip to Danie Craven Stadium, where the game finished in a goalless draw.

The last time Orlando Pirates were victorious in the fixture, they netted two goals in each half before conceding a late consolation goal for a convincing 4-1 win at Orlando Stadium back in January 2023.

They have managed two cup wins over Stellies since then, with league victories eluding them for well over two years.