Pirates are stronger than Sundowns

Soweto giants Orlando Pirates will step into Wednesday’s Betway Premiership battle against Mamelodi Sundowns with the numbers on their side.

Abdeslam Ouaddou’s side have an opportunity to prove they’re better than Miguel Cardoso’s troops on Wednesday at 19:30 at the FNB Stadium.

The Buccaneers sit six points clear at the top of the league, although Sundowns do have a game in hand.

CONSISTENCY FROM ORLANDO PIRATES

While the table already tells part of the story, the recent numbers show why Bucs have earned their position.

The Sea Robbers are unbeaten in 14 league matches, winning 12 and drawing two. During that run, they have conceded just two goals and kept 10 clean sheets.

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In attack, Orlando Pirates have scored 25 goals in those 14 games, the highest tally in the division, narrowly ahead of Sundowns’ 24 overall.

Sundowns, meanwhile, are on a seven-match unbeaten run, with five wins and two draws. In that period, they have scored 14 goals and kept four clean sheets.

SCORING BALANCE

Another interesting difference lies in how the goals are shared. Sundowns rely heavily on Iqraam Rayners, who accounts for 25% of their total goals, and together with Tashreeq Matthews, contribute close to 42%.

Orlando Pirates’ goals are more evenly spread. Four different players are tied as leading scorers with three goals each, contributing 14% individually. They are Yanela Mbuthuma, Relebohile Mofokeng, Patrick Maswanganyi and Evidence Makgopa.

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In total, 10 different players have scored across 16 matches, meaning the majority of Orlando Pirates’ goals come from the collective rather than one or two central figures.

Wednesday’s 19:30 meeting at the FNB Stadium will not decide the title, but it could shift momentum. For Orlando Pirates, a win will stretch the log lead to nine points, while a defeat will close the gap to six.