Orlando Pirates skipper Innocent Maela believes winning the MTN8 would alleviate pressure on them to a certain extent.

Pirates take on AmaZulu in the MTN8 final at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday (6pm). Pirates' last trophy was the very same MTN8 in 2020, while their Saturday's opponent AmaZulu have not clinched a silverware since their 1992 Coca-Cola triumph.

"I think to a certain extent the pressure will be lesser [should they win the MTN8] but when you play for a big club like ours you are always expected to win,'' Maela said during a media conference at their Rand Stadium training base yesterday.

After being stretchered off with a groin strain in the 28th minute of their Soweto derby defeat to bitter rivals Kaizer Chiefs last Saturday, Maela is optimistic he'll recover in time to feature in the Wafa Wafa decider.

"We are still busy with  the team doctors and physios. It is still early to tell (whether he'll be fit to feature on Saturday or not) but I feel good... I feel confident,'' noted Maela, who didn't train yesterday.

Maela gave a sense they aim to win the MTN8 to propitiate their fans after subjecting them to a heartbreak in the Soweto derby. The Sea Robbers captain also highlighted how they expect AmaZulu to play, taking lessons from the league meeting with them that ended 1-all mid-October.

"We have an opportunity to play for a trophy on the back of a very emotional week. From the previous match that we played against AmaZulu, we noticed that they play in transition... they leave a lot of players upfront so that they can have an edge when they attack,'' Maela said.

"However, it is still early in the week to conclude how we will approach the game. We will go deeper with our analysis as the week progresses but we know what we need to do to nullify their strength of transitional play."