Orlando Pirates will be at their destructive best when they meet the reigning Carling Knockout champions, Magesi FC, in a Betway Premiership fixture on Sunday afternoon at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
This past Tuesday, Pirates warmed up for the clash with an overwhelming 8-1 win over Marumo Gallants at Orlando Stadium. This terrific form will bolster their confidence, as they prepare for the Polokwane clash.
In their last meeting, Magesi defeated Pirates 3-2 in the opening round of the Carling Knockout in mid-October. Magesi stunned the Orlando Stadium faithful that day after they ran up a 3-0 half-time lead.
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Later, Magesi followed up with another giant-killing act by defeating the star-studded Mamelodi Sundowns in the Carling Knockout final. A consolation for Pirates will be the absence of the Magesi mastermind Clinton Larsen, who has surprisingly resigned. Papi Zothwane, the former Bafana Bafana midfielder, is Magesi's new head coach.
The 8-1 rout in Orlando allowed Pirates to equal the PSL record for the biggest victory in the league. SuperSport United defeated Zulu Royals by the same score in the 2003/04 season. The scoreline was also Gallants' biggest league defeat.
Sunday's match will be Pirates' last match of the year and a victory will allow them to stay in the race for Premiership honours, along with pace-setters Mamelodi Sundowns, who head the latest standings by three points. However, the Brazilians have played one game more than Pirates.
A breakdown of the goal scorers in the 8-1 win shows four different scorers and that reflects a fine team effort.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WASNbHHgOZQ
The Pirates' attack this weekend is likely to be boosted by Evidence Makgopa, their leading goalscorer. With four goals he is second on the Premiership's leading goal scorers list behind Sundowns' ace goal poacher Iqraam Rayners who five goals. Makgopa did not play against Gallants because he was nursing a minor injury.
Pirates coach José Riveiro was keen to field the player but after the pre-match warm-up session, Makgopa was withdrawn in favour of the striker Tshegofatso Mabasa, who scored a hat-trick in the 8-1 victory. Riveiro could start with Makgopa and Mabasa and leave Mohau Nkota on the substitutes' bench.
Magesi's league form has been dreadful and they have one win after nine matches. They have lost their last three matches and during that time conceded seven goals, while managing to score a lone goal.
They had an outing on Saturday and suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Carling All Stars XI in Orlando. Zothwane was at the helm and that would have helped him know the squad's strengths and weaknesses.
Pirates will also no doubt target Magesi's Zimbabwean goalkeeper and captain Elvis Chipezeze, who won four Player of the Match awards in the Carling Knockout this season. He was brilliant in the tournament’s final against Sundowns and made several terrific saves.
In Pirates, he'll be up against another potent attack and that might be the cue to raise his game to the highest level in front of the Magesi faithful come Sunday. | Independent Media Sport