“Weakest Team vs The Champions” – Pupuma Honest On Milford’s Brutal Pirates Baptism Of Fire
Milford coach Xanti Pupuma admits his side could hardly have asked for a tougher introduction to the Betway Premiership than an opening-day clash against defending champions Orlando Pirates, but insists they are embracing the challenge.
The newly promoted side will travel to the Orlando Amstel Arena to face the 2025/26 treble winners in their first fixture of the 2026/27 Betway Premiership season on 1 August.
It presents a daunting task for Milford, who secured promotion to the top flight after winning the promotion/relegation playoffs against Magesi and Cape Town City in June.
The timing has also left them with limited preparation, while Pirates have already begun their pre-season campaign in Spain.
Pupuma acknowledged that facing the champions in their opening match was far from ideal but believes the encounter will provide the perfect opportunity for his players to test themselves on the biggest stage.
“At some point we will have to play them. It is unfortunate, but at the same time it’s a challenge that we are embracing,” said Pupuma.
“Especially because we are playing the champions, and if you look at how we got here, we are probably the lowest-ranked team in the division. We qualified through the playoffs, while Kruger United won the league, so they finished above us.
“The other teams were already in the division, so in that sense we are the underdogs. To play the champions away from home on the opening day doesn’t get any tougher than that. We know it’s not going to be easy for many reasons, but we will embrace the challenge. My only wish is that we show up and don’t get carried away by the occasion.”
This is not the first time Pupuma’s team has faced a Soweto giant. In February 2024, while still a second-tier club, Milford pulled off one of the greatest upsets in modern South African football by knocking Kaizer Chiefs out of the Nedbank Cup via a penalty shootout.
Pupuma, who doubles up as a full-time gynaecologist, added that Milford has set clear objectives for the season but preferred to keep the club’s specific targets in-house.
“I’ll keep that to myself. We do have our own targets within the team,” he said.
“They are achievable targets, as well as dreams that we are striving to fulfil. Hopefully, those dreams will help us achieve our objectives. All I can say is that this team is capable of competing, and we will compete against clubs that have been in the PSL for much longer than we have.”
