Aces look to upset Pirates
Mpumalanga Black Aces will look to reinstate their pride on Saturday evening when they take on Orlando Pirates in the semifinals of the 2011 Nedbank Cup at Orlando Stadium, kick-off at 8:15pm (SA, CAT, GMT+2).
Aces and the Buccaneers are the only two remaining PSL teams in the competition, but one of them will wave goodbye to cup glory in what is sure to be a titanic battle.
The side from Mpumalanga have been confirmed of relegation from the top flight, but that fact according to Dennis Masina will only motivate them to find success in the Nedbank Cup.
“We have already been relegated from the PSL and we have nothing else to play for but pride. We are looking to restore our pride and we will come out guns blazing. Pirates will not get an easy game against us and because we are relegated we are entirely focussed on the Cup,” advocates the Aces man.
The AmaZayoni will definitely come into this game as the underdogs, but that will play into their hands suggests Masina, especially as Buccaneers are also focussing on chasing the league title, “Pirates will underestimate us at their own peril and we are psychologically prepared for the game compared to our opponents who have divided their focus between the Nedbank Cup and the Absa Premiership.”
On the league front, Pirates are placed second on the log with 57 points from 29 matches and they are still in with a shout of winning the league title on the last weekend of the season.
Still, according to the Buccaneers coach, Ruud Krol, that fact will not distract them from the cup match, “We are professionals and we are fully focussed on the game at hand and winning it. We know Aces will be difficult opponents and the fact that they were relegated doesn't mean they are not a good team. We must respect them, because they deserved to reach the semifinals.”
Krol also added that they are dangerous for the mere fact they have nothing to lose, “It is not going to be easy playing against a team that has nothing to lose. We have to prepare ourselves mentally and physically.”
For Pirates, they have reached the last four of the competition thanks to victories over Mamelodi Sundowns (1-0), United FC (3-1) and Free State Stars (1-0) in the Last 32, Last 16 and Quarterfinals respectively.
Aces, in retrospect, beat Hanover Park (4-2), Witbank Spurs (4-3) and AmaZulu (3-2) in the Last 32, Last 16 and Quarterfinals respectively to make it to this point.
This is the Buccaneers’ best showing in the history of the Nedbank Cup, improving on last season when they got as far as the Quarterfinals. However, of the four Nedbank Cup semifinalists, Pirates have scored the fewest goals (five) in reaching the final four, but they have also conceded the fewest goals (one).
In stark contrast, Aces have both scored and conceded the most number of goals in reaching the last four. They have netted 11 and shipped seven at the other end of the field.
Masina though says they will go all out to breach the Pirates defence, “We have conceded goals, but we have scored them as well. As long as we score more than we concede then we still win. We will definitely be looking to score more than Pirates on Saturday.”
This is the second time that AmaZayoni have reached the last four of the Nedbank Cup; they first achieved the feat in 2008 and actually went as far as the final before losing 1-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns.
In head-to-head stats, Pirates and Aces have met in three previous cup matches heading back as far as 1989. Pirates won two of the games, and the other ended in a draw. Their last knockout meeting was in 1993: the top eight cup final, which Bucs won 3-1.