Mabasa: Pirates Know What’s Needed To Catch Sundowns
Orlando Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabasa says the team knows what it needs to do to close the gap on Mamelodi Sundowns at the top of the Betway Premiership table.
Pirates travel to Durban to face Golden Arrows at the Mpumalanga Stadium on Wednesday (19:30), looking to reduce the deficit.
Sundowns’ 4-1 victory over Pirates almost two weeks ago at Loftus Stadium opened a nine-point gap. Sundowns currently lead the table with 42 points from 16 matches, while Pirates sit second with 33 points, having played two games fewer.
A win against Arrows, who last defeated Pirates in KwaZulu-Natal in February 2021, would close the gap to six points.
Mabasa emphasized that the players understand the importance of securing three points against Arrows.
“We are currently chasing in the league, and we know what we have to do,” said Mabasa, who recently became Pirates’ second all-time leading goal scorer with 44 goals in 208 appearances, 14 behind club legend Benedict “Tso” Vilakazi.
“We have to win all our games, and hopefully, a few results will go our way as well. There is no pressure on us; we will take it one game at a time, starting on Wednesday with Golden Arrows.”
Pirates and Sundowns, both CAF Champions League winners, could potentially face each other in the competition’s quarter-finals when the draw takes place on Thursday.
Pirates will be seeded after topping Group C ahead of Al Ahly, giving them the advantage of playing the second leg of the quarter-final at Orlando Stadium.
Sundowns, having finished second in Group B, will not be seeded, increasing the possibility of a quarter-final clash between the two South African giants.
Teams from the same federation can meet in the quarter-finals, except for those who played each other in the group stage. Therefore, Pirates cannot face Al Ahly, and Sundowns cannot face FAR Rabat.
Mabasa, who scored in Pirates’ 2-1 win over Al Ahly in Cairo during the group stage, said he hasn’t been thinking about the Champions League draw.
“Honestly, I haven’t given it much thought. I have been concentrating on this past weekend’s Nedbank Cup match (where Pirates won 3-1 against Baroka in the round of 16), and on Wednesday, it’s back to the league,” said Mabasa, last season’s PSL Golden Boot winner.
“We have been focused as a group on Golden Arrows. The coach (Jose Riveiro) always tells us to take one game at a time and try to deliver for the team and get all three points, and that is what we want to do.”
Pirates last won the Champions League in 1995 and reached the final in 2013, where they lost to Al Ahly.
