Santos aims to upset Bucs
Nedbank Cup Last 16 match between Orlando Pirates and Santos United will take place on Friday March 21.
Santos will be aiming to upset Orlando Pirates when the teams meet in the Last 16 of the Nedbank Cup at Athlone Stadium on Friday March 21.
The kick-off is at 18:00. Tickets are still available.
“They will come out running for their life,” said Dane Klaite from Orlando Pirates at the press conference on Wednesday March 19. “We expect a very hard game, but will be ready to apply our minds on this.
“It is also very difficult to play on Athlone Stadium, it is always very windy and it is a knockout cup so we need to get through the match, not giving anything away.”
The newly appointed Head Coach, Vladimir Vermezovic, who has only been in control for three matches, said, “I think that ther fatigue plays a great role in their performance and we came off with a draw in Nelspruit, but all the cup games are very important to win, so I will be trying to help them to take the next step.”
Santos, two-time winners of the National Cup (2001, 2003), earned their place in this round thanks to a 2-1 home win over Gamalakhe United in the Last 32. They now face an altogether different challenge with the visit of Soweto giants Pirates.
This will be the second successive away match against a National First Division side for the Buccaneers, who played to a thrilling 3-3 draw with Thanda Royal Zulu before edging the coastal side 3-1 on penalties in the Last 32.
The People’s Team and Bucs have met in nine previous cup matches since their rivalry began in 1991. The Soweto side has claimed five wins compared to three for the Cape side, with one match ending in a draw (which Santos won on penalties).
Pirates have won the last two cup meetings of the teams, which were both in the quarterfinals of the MTN8. Bucs won 2-1 in the 2010/11 season and 1-0 in the 2011/12 campaign.
The teams have met just once in the Nedbank Cup, a Last 32 clash in 2008, which ended 2-2 after extra time before the People’s Team edged the tie 5-4 on penalties.
Santos will also have good memories of their last clash against Pirates, a league match in Cape Town in the second half of the 2011/12 season, in which they claimed a resounding 3-0 win.
However, that season ended very differently for the respectively teams: Pirates went on to win the league championship despite that defeat in Cape Town, while Santos was eventually relegated from the top flight via the playoffs.
