Dazed Orlando Pirates looking to bounce back against TS Galaxy e’Sgodini

After they were handed a free soccer lesson in the final of the MTN8 by Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates will be looking to bounce back when they face TS Galaxy in a league match at the Orlando Stadium on Tuesday night at 7.30pm.

This past Saturday, the Buccaneers were left stunned, following a 2-0 defeat by a star-studded Sundowns, and their reign in the Wafa-Wafa cup came to a disappointing end at a jam-packed Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou had experimented with his starting XI, dropping superstar Oswin Appollis with the hope of introducing him later as an impact player.

The strategy backfired, and goals in each half from the Brazilians ensured that the Buccaneers missed out on what would have been an unprecedented fifth consecutive title. Against Galaxy, Bucs will find a team that is well-rested after the elongated Fifa calendar break that lasted for almost four weeks.

Galaxy looking to end poor run

The Rockets have been struggling to win matches, recording a single victory in their last five league matches. After their last win on August 25 against Marumo Gallants, Tim Sukazi’s side drew against Sekhukhune United and lost to newbies Kruger United and Chippa United in that order. They are sitting precariously in position 12 on the 16-team Betway Premiership table.

READ: Mamelodi Sundowns are MTN8 champions after outclassing Orlando Pirates

Said Ouaddou ahead of the Galaxy match: “We are going to bounce back and you can count on us – on Pirates – to be ready for the next games.”

His Galaxy counterpart, Seluleko Mahlambi, thinks that this is an important game for them since they failed to register a lot of points on the log table.

Pirates hold upper hand in rivalry

According to the Bucs’ website, Pirates recorded an emphatic league double over Galaxy last season, striking a total of eight with no reply across their two fixtures. Most of these occurred in their most recent encounter played at Mbombela Stadium, where they claimed a memorable 6-0 victory.

Overall, it is the Soweto Giants who have dominated what is still a young rivalry by emerging on the winning side seven times. The men from Mpumalanga have, meanwhile, registered just three victories, while only two of the 12 league fixtures between the two sides have finished level.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter