Orlando Pirates ready for desperate Maritzburg United

Orlando Pirates will be eager to register another victory when they host relegation-threatened Maritzburg United in a DStv Premiership tie at the Orlando Stadium on Friday night.

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Pirates go into this clash on a high after brushing off All Stars FC in the last 32 round of the Nedbank Cup last week.

The Buccaneers face a desperate Maritzburg team that needs points in order to move out from the chop zone. The Team of Choice are in 15th place on the log with 21 points after 19 matches.

Pirates midfielder Thabang Monare, however, says they won’t be focusing much on their opponents, adding that they are looking forward to the tie.

“Well, mentally we are ready and we have the right attitude. We are playing at home, so we are looking forward to the game,” said the Bucs midfielder.

With Fadlu Davids, a former Bucs assistant coach now at the helm at Maritzburg, Monare and his teammates should know what to expect from the 41-year-old mentor. Monare, however, says that does not give them an edge over Maritzburg.

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“Well, I wouldn’t say that it gives us an advantage (knowing Fadlu), we are focusing on ourselves as a team. We are looking to improve as a team because when we look outside it will be hard for us to improve or see improvement in the squad. We are just looking at ourselves as a team, how we are improving on a daily basis,” he added.

The Sea Robbers are in fourth place on the league table going after collecting 28 points in 19 games.

A win for the Soweto giants will take them to third place on the log, level on points with Richards Bay FC on 31 points.