Pirates fired up for ‘crucial’ City clash

With a spot in the Nedbank Cup last 16 secured, Orlando Pirates now face a tough test against Cape Town City in a DStv Premiership match at Orlando Stadium on Tuesday.

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Bucs got a 1-0 win over GladAfrica Championship team Uthongathi at the same venue this past weekend.

But the win wasn’t that convincing for the Soweto club, who had to grind out the result against the lower division side.

Going into the City clash, Pirates assistant coach Fadlu Davids knows that they are playing against a formidable side.

“We face a well balanced Cape Town City …they have a really structured way of attacking from the flanks, with three upfront and with late runs from midfield. So, we really have to take this game as one of the bigger games we have to face this season … coming at this crucial point,” said Davids.

“We’ve been facing enough (tough games) in the last 30 days, it’s our 10^th game. The players are now getting used to the rhythm of having a match in front of you every two days. The cup game is a different competition, it’s in the past. We are now facing a good team like Cape Town City and our players are up for it.”

Pirates will be hoping to get their league campaign on track after losing their last league match 2-0 to Golden Arrows, prior to their Ke Yona cup fixture with Uthongathi.

The clubs have already met twice this season, with the Buccaneers winning 1-0 in the MTN8 Cup, before playing to a 2-2 draw in the first round of the league.

The Mother City club will certainly be hoping to change their fortunes against Bucs this season by getting a victory, especially with confidence high following a 4-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic in the Nedbank Cup.

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