Royal Leopard ready to face Pirates in Confed game in Mbombela
Royal's venue in Eswatini being renovated
Royal Leopard are not bothered that they will host Orlando Pirates in their CAF Confederation Cup at Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga rather than Eswatini as they feel it won’t make any difference.
Leopard decided to play the match in SA due to the unavailability of their home stadium Somhlolo as it is being renovated. Their alternative Mavuso Sports Centre was deemed inappropriate to host international matches by CAF.
This has since given Pirates an advantage as they don’t have to cross the border to play this fixture on Sunday at 6pm and will travel to the venue they are used to playing in the DStv Premiership.
Leopard CEO Frank Hurube says playing in Mbombela is like playing at home and will make Pirates feel like they are playing away. “We have indeed lost the home ground advantage due to the technicalities in our stadiums,” Hurube told Sowetan yesterday.
“But playing Pirates in SA won’t make any difference as it will be the same as playing at home. It is a game of IX versus IX on the field of play at the end of the day. We think we will be ready for them wherever we play.
“Remember, we are wounded after our defeats on Sunday [to JS Saoura 2-0], so we want to get our first win in this competition. Playing in Mbombela is like playing at home.”
Hurube also added that they would give Pirates the respect they deserve, but that doesn’t mean they fear them. “We know we are going to play them at their territory, but even us, that’s our home,” he insisted.
“We know that they are based in Johannesburg and not in Mpumalanga. We are close to the province, which makes things easier for us.
“It’s going to be a great game. We know they didn’t play well in their last game, and neither did we. We respect them as a team, especially that they are one of the biggest teams in SA, but we won’t respect them on the field of play.”
Both teams will be coming into this game at the back of defeats in their previous matches. Pirates lost 2-3 to Al-Ittihad of Libya away, while Leopard were beaten 0-2 by Saoura of Algeria also away this past weekend.