Dlamini On Dethroning Sundowns – We Cannot Afford To Drop Points
Orlando Pirates midfielder Kabelo Dlamini has made an honest admission on challenging the rampant Mamelodi Sundowns for the Betway Premiership title, with the Tshwane giants having won eight championships in a row.
The Buccaneers will kickstart their league campaign with a visit from Sekhukhune United at Orlando Stadium on Saturday. This will be Abdeslam Ouaddou’s second match in the dugout as he guided Pirates to the semi-finals of the MTN8 last weekend.
Ouaddou will be determined to take the team to greater heights from their impressive 2024/25 season display under Jose Riveiro, which included winning the first seven league matches on the trot, a new club record for Pirates.
With the league opener on the horizon, Dlamini stressed the importance of replicating their fine starting form from last season, stating that they can’t afford to drop points if they want to topple Sundowns.
“We need to start the way we did last season because we are competing against strong teams like Mamelodi Sundowns, they hardly drop points, and when you compete against those teams, you can’t afford to draw or to lose two games in a row because the league might be gone. We want to win our games and try to bring the trophy back home,” he said.
On the impressive winning streak, the versatile midfielder attributed their performance to the notable growth the team has made over the past few years and hopes they can surpass the new record and reach a new milestone of consecutive league wins at the beginning of the season.
“To be honest, in the last five years we have been growing as a group, as a team, and I’m happy that last season we started the way we started. Maybe this season could be better compared to last season, maybe it might not be seven, it might be 15. We want to win our games and be a better team this season,” added Dlamini.
The Sea Robbers finished in second place in the Betway Premiership last season, clinched the MTN8 for a record third time in a row, got knocked out in the CAF Champions League semi-final, before they fell to archrivals Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup final.
