Orlando Pirates face Marumo Gallants in the final of the Carling Knockout Cup this weekend.
The Buccaneers are favourites to win the final, having already claimed one trophy this season. In September, Adbeslam Ouaddou’s men defeated Stellenbosch FC 3-0 in the final of the MTN8.
In the 23 matches the Pirates played this season, they lost only three times, making them the most dominant team in the Premier Soccer League.
In cup finals, form means nothing and Gallants should be confident going into Peter Mokaba on Saturday evening.
Here’s why Orlando Pirates will not beat Gallants in the final:
Carling KO curse
The Buccaneers seemed to have broken the curse in 2011 when they won the trophy, but have since lost three Carling KO finals. The final is dubbed as Mbokazi’s “last dance” with Orlando Pirates but that could backfire as it puts more pressure on the team.
Last season, Jose Riveiro’s “last dance” ended in a cup defeat to Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup final.
Penalty shootout
If the game goes to penalties, the Buccaneers are unlikely to win. In their last five finals where penalties were needed, Orlando Pirates only won twice.
In fact, the Buccaneers were eliminated from the CAF Champions League preliminary stages in a shootout.
One eye on AFCON
A total of nine Pirates players were included in Bafana Bafana’s final 23-man squad for this year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). All of nine players could start for the Buccaneers on Saturday and some of them might not give their all to avoid injury.
With one cup in the bag, some Orlando Pirates might not go all out for Saturday’s final, which could be an advantage for Gallants.
Pirates and Gallants face each other at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday at 18:00.
