Pirates battle SuperSport for points in Mbombela

Orlando Pirates will return to Absa Premiership action with a clash against Gauteng rivals SuperSport United at at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Wednesday evening.

Kick-off is at 7:30pm CAT.

The two teams have become notable adversaries over the last few seasons and every time the Buccaneers travel to the Mpumalanga city, flashbacks of their 6-1 defeat to the Tshwane club will dominate social media threads across South Africa.

SuperSport kicked-off their 2019/20 campaign with a 2-0 loss to defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns. Matsatsantsa dominated portions of the match, but were ultimately outdone by the Brazilians clinical nature with goals from Sibusiso Vilakazi and Themba Zwane leading 'Downs to victory.

In contrast, Pirates got their season up-and-running with a 3-1 win over Bloemfontein Celtic as last season's league runners-up aim to go one better in the current campaign.

The Buccaneers’ goals were netted by Augustine Mulenga, Innocent Maela and debutant Frank Mhango.

Former Pirates forward Thamsanqa Gabuza, who now dons the blue of SuperSport, is hoping to get one over his former employers as Matsatsantsa go in search of their first win of the season.

“I would like to say thanks to the fans for the support they gave me in the six years I spent at Pirates,” Gabuza said.

“They pushed me and made me the player that I am today. Even though I didn’t get a chance to properly say goodbye, I am still in football and we will meet again.

He continued: "I am very happy about facing Pirates. As a footballer, you always look forward to coming up against your former team. There is no point I want to prove against them. I just have to follow the coach’s instructions and do what he instructs me to do.”

Pirates showcased their intent from the onset against Celtic - eventually pulling away from their opposition in the second half - but despite the win, head coach Milutin Sredojevic believes there is still plenty of room for improvement.

"We wanted to control the game and then we conceded against the run of play from a set-piece. Going into halftime, we tried to convince the team that we could win this," said Sredojevic.

"We looked at the first half, they had advantages on the left flank. We turned to a 4-2-3-1 and from that moment, we started taking the game to our opponents.

"It was far from the performance we are looking for but it was the first match of the season," he concluded.

Star players to watch:

SuperSport United

Dean Furman: The Matsatsantsa midfielder will be key in keeping a potent Pirates attack in check. Against a side that are fast on the break and good in possession, Furman will play an integral role in breaking down Buccaneers attacks and stopping fast breaks. The Bafana Bafana hard-man's engine is likely to be tested to the limit, but he has all the capabilities to make life very difficult for his opposite number.

Kudakwashe Mahachi: The Zimbabwean winger will have a point to prove against his former employers and with Aubrey Modiba set to miss the clash, he is likely to start from the onset in Mbombela. SuperSport will be hoping he can add more goals to his game, especially in the absence of Modiba who's versatility is key to how Matsatsanta play.

Orlando Pirates

Augustine Mulenga: The Zambian forward started the season with a bang and in the absence of Thembinkosi Lorch, his goals become even more important. Mulenga's hard-running nature and knack for goals is a huge boost to any team and Micho will be hoping that he can build on that throughout the current campaign.

Musa Nyatama: A man-of-the-match display in Pirates' opener this season, Nyatama is one of the most under-appreciated players in the league. His calmness in position is not something that is easily coachable, while his vision is what makes him a joy to play alongside for any attacking teammate.

Head-to-head statistics:

Last 10 League Results

Season Result Scorers

2014/15 SuperSport 1-2 Pirates Phala; Sarr, Myeni

2014/15 Pirates 4-1 SuperSport M. Masuku 2, Erasmus, Myeni; Phala

2015/16 SuperSport 1-0 Pirates Boxall

2015/16 Pirates 2-2 SuperSport Myeni, Makola; Grobler, Farmer

2016/17 SuperSport 6-1 Pirates Letsholonyane, Boxall 2, Phala, Grobler, Brockie (pen); Ndoro

2016/17 Pirates 1-1 SuperSport Lorch; Mnyamane

2017/18 Pirates 0-0 SuperSport

2017/18 SuperSport 0-0 Pirates

2018/19 Pirates 3-1 SuperSport Pule, Lorch, Motshwari; Khumalo

2018/19 SuperSport 1-0 Pirates Daniels

League Record (since 1990)

Home

P W D L GF GA

SuperSport 28 12 6 10 35 31

Pirates 28 13 9 6 41 21

Away

P W D L GF GA

SuperSport 28 6 9 13 21 41

Pirates 28 10 6 12 31 35

Total

P W D L GF GA

SuperSport 56 18 15 23 56 72

Pirates 56 23 15 18 72 56