Baroka Football Club hopes to improve on the outcome of their previous match against the mighty Orlando Pirates Football Club when the two teams meet at Orlando Stadium on 26 April.
In the first round of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in October last year the two teams played to an exciting 1-1 draw at the new Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Baroka is currently in 15th position of the league and fighting to get out of the relegation zone. Pirates lies in ninth position and hopes to win the match so as to secure their place in the top eight bracket.
Baroka Spokesperson, Jimmy Ngobeni is confident they will do well against the Bucs. “Pirates is a big team in Africa and one of the oldest teams in the country. We have much respect for them but we are not scared of them. We are well prepared for the match, the technical team and the players have been analysing their videos to check their strengths and weaknesses and I am confident that we will do well,” Ngobeni said.
He also added that a victory against Pirates will see them moving to the 12th position of the league. “All the teams at the bottom of league are one point away from each other, a win for us will take us further.
“We are aware of the threat they pose because of the type of squad they have. They have a pool of talented players with international experience bur we have players who are determined but we believe they will deliver,” remarked Ngobeni.
On Friday they suffered their 11th defeat of the season at the hands of Maritzburg United who beat them 3-1 at Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg.
Ngobeni described the defeat as another learning curve in the PSL. “We played in the rain and our boys are not used to such conditions. Remember we are new in the league so these are some of the things we need to work on as we progress. However, we have put the loss behind us and we are waiting for Orlando Pirates,” stated Ngobeni.
Story: Herbert Rachuene
>>herbert@mailbox.co.za
