Pirates take on Egyptian giants, Zamalek

The Mighty Buccaneers will entertain Egyptian giants, Zamalek, in their second group match in the Confederations of African Football (Caf) Confederations Cup.

The match will be played at the Mbombela Stadium in Mbombela (formerly Nelspruit) in Mpumalanga on 11 July, with the kick-off set for 3pm.

Orlando Pirates, whose home ground Orlando Stadium is currently under renovation, come to this match following an away win against Democratic Republic of Congo side, AC Leopards.

The Ghosts beat Leopards by a solitary goal courtesy of the boot of Happy Jele; while Zamalek left it to the 90th minute to register their 1-0 win against Tunisian giants, CS Sfaxien.

Pirates and Zamalek are tied on top of the group with three points each, while their counterparts in the group, Sfaxien and Leopards, are yet to register wins.

Saturday’s Mbombela game will be a battle of the giants as the old foes meet in yet another continental battle of north versus south.

Zindala zombili (they are both formidable sides) as they say in IsiZulu, and it will be interesting to see ukuthi ziyozala nkomoni (what the outcome will be) of the match between these African football giants.

The much-anticipated encounter will not be the first time these two sides cross paths. The first encounter was in the 2013 Caf Champions League, where Pirates lost 2-1 in the first leg, but came back with an outstanding performance in the second which saw the Buccaneers scalp the White Knights with an emphatic 4-1 home victory.

Zamalek are scheduled to arrive in the country on 8 July, while the hosts are already acclimatising in Mbombela.

Absent from the Buccaneers side will be their stalwart central defender, Siyabonga Sangweni, who has been given leave by the club to attend to a family bereavement.