Mpumalanga Black Aces look to return to their winning ways when they host Orlando Pirates on Sunday at Mbombela Stadium. This much-awaited crunch match is scheduled for 15:30 and is already promising to be an entertaining duel.
Aces are playing against an experienced side, which is not consistent these days, however. Pirates’ poor showing has cost them valuable points and as a result, they are trailing in position nine, with only 23 points after 18 games.
The home team’s campaign on the other hand, has also been marred with draws and lack of harmony.
Even though Aces are currently in position three, they too have easily donated points to opposing teams that has the potential of coming back to haunt them. They have already played to six draws since the beginning of the season.
In February alone, they played three consecutive draws. On February 2, they played into a goalless draw against Jomo Cosmos, followed by another goalless stalemate against Bloemfontein Celtics,
and on February 10, they were held in a familiar draw by Ajax Cape Town. The last time Aces won a match was on January 30, at Mbombela Stadium where they beat Chippa United by a goal to nil.
Sunday’s match is of outmost importance for both teams. Aces need to keep up with the log leaders, Mamelodi Sundowns, who are on top with 45 points. Pirates on the other hand need to collect maximum points simply to fight for a spot with the top eight teams.
Mbombela Stadium spokesperson, Mthuthuzeli Qamba said tickets were already selling.
He said tickets are selling at R50 for adults and R20 for pupils. “We also have two VIP packages, the platinum and gold.
“They are selling at R950 and R650 per person respectively, while our suites are selling at R12 000,”said Qamba.
