Orlando Pirates may have struggled to beat Kaizer Chiefs in the last five DStv Premiership matches, but they boast a good record when it comes to cup competitions.
In 20 cup matches in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) era, Pirates have 10 straight wins, while Chiefs have four, with the other six ending in draws and Amakhosi winning in penalties.
This has left Pirates ex-player Thulasizwe Mbuyane a bit puzzled that their form in the league and cup competitions is different, but feels his former side will win tomorrow.
“It still puzzles me that normally we don’t lose to Chiefs in cup competitions, but we’ve been losing in the league for the past five games,” Mbuyane explained to Sowetan yesterday.
“But I think they have a good team and they will do well this time because the last two matches I was not impressed with the teams they played against from the lower leagues and they may have undermined them.
“However, coming into this match, forget about past performance. The focus is on the derby and Pirates need to go there and perform well, and I'm sure they will get a result and progress to the final.
“The match against Chiefs will come as a big test for the Buccaneers, having faced lower teams All Stars, Venda Football Academy and Dondol Stars leading up to the semifinal.
Chiefs on the other side, faced two Premiership teams, Maritzburg United and Royal AM, and Casric Stars from the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
While Mbuyane admitted that this would be the Buccaneers’ biggest test in this competition, he was also hopeful that they would still progress to the final.
“Chiefs have played against Premiership teams and Pirates played all their matches against lower teams and they struggled against those teams as they ended up going to penalties against Dondol,” he said.
“Usually, you find that during the derby, the team is not as good as the one that was playing poorly. The performance on the day is what matters the most.
“But the pressure will be on Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane because he lost in the last two matches, but at the same time Pirates don’t want to lose this cup.
“And if Pirates fail to beat Chiefs this time, I don’t think they will beat them anytime soon.”
Mbuyane banks on Bucs’ cup pedigree to see off Chiefs
Pirates have won 10 of 20 Soweto derbies in knockouts
Image: Lee Warren
Orlando Pirates may have struggled to beat Kaizer Chiefs in the last five DStv Premiership matches, but they boast a good record when it comes to cup competitions.
In 20 cup matches in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) era, Pirates have 10 straight wins, while Chiefs have four, with the other six ending in draws and Amakhosi winning in penalties.
This has left Pirates ex-player Thulasizwe Mbuyane a bit puzzled that their form in the league and cup competitions is different, but feels his former side will win tomorrow.
“It still puzzles me that normally we don’t lose to Chiefs in cup competitions, but we’ve been losing in the league for the past five games,” Mbuyane explained to Sowetan yesterday.
“But I think they have a good team and they will do well this time because the last two matches I was not impressed with the teams they played against from the lower leagues and they may have undermined them.
“However, coming into this match, forget about past performance. The focus is on the derby and Pirates need to go there and perform well, and I'm sure they will get a result and progress to the final.
“The match against Chiefs will come as a big test for the Buccaneers, having faced lower teams All Stars, Venda Football Academy and Dondol Stars leading up to the semifinal.
Chiefs on the other side, faced two Premiership teams, Maritzburg United and Royal AM, and Casric Stars from the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
While Mbuyane admitted that this would be the Buccaneers’ biggest test in this competition, he was also hopeful that they would still progress to the final.
“Chiefs have played against Premiership teams and Pirates played all their matches against lower teams and they struggled against those teams as they ended up going to penalties against Dondol,” he said.
“Usually, you find that during the derby, the team is not as good as the one that was playing poorly. The performance on the day is what matters the most.
“But the pressure will be on Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane because he lost in the last two matches, but at the same time Pirates don’t want to lose this cup.
“And if Pirates fail to beat Chiefs this time, I don’t think they will beat them anytime soon.”
‘Chiefs winning derby after poor result just a coincidence’
Riveiro stirs up his charges ahead of Chiefs clash
Casric nearly there but a lot depends on City, Spurs
Sundowns' record title triumph becoming a burden, says Rulani
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Related articles
Latest Videos