Pirates to continue chase for second spot against Richards Bay

Jose Riveiro will be looking to keep the club’s winning momentum going when they travel down to KwaZulu-Natal for a DStv Premiership tie with Richards Bay FC at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday.

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The Buccaneers went on a three games winning streak in all competitions before the Fifa break. They hammered Swallows FC 4-1, edged Venda Football Academy 2-1 in the Nedbank Cup to book a spot in the quarter-finals of the competition and they also emerged as 1-0 winners against SuperSport United.

The win against SuperSport was vital for Pirates, since both teams are eyeing a second place finish on the league standings.

Bucs are now on 37 points on the log after 23 games, and only two points separate them with Matsatsantsa, who are in position two with 39 from the same number of matches.

Getting maximum points against the Natal Rich Boys will be another step closer to the Buccaneers’ objective for the season, which is to qualify for the Caf Champions League.

Bucs, however, are coming up against a tricky side in Richards Bay. The KwaZulu-Natal outfit got promoted to the top tier last season after their good run in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.

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They began the 2022/23 DStv Premiership campaign on a high note, as they found themselves in top three on the log table in the early stages of the season.

However, they have since dropped to sixth place after some recent poor form and they have managed to collect 31 points.

The last time the Rich Boys won a game was in the middle of January. They have recorded six losses and two draws in their last eight matches in all competitions.

Defender Abel Mabaso, a former Pirates player, believes that it’s about time they get positive result and thinks the Fifa break gave them time to rectify their mistakes.

“We had a poor run before the break, but now we know what to do. We want to start winning our games like we did in the opening stages of the league,” said the defender.

“We know what to expect from Pirates, and we have prepared really well for them.”