Xoki Outlines Pirates’ Mission For Remaining Domestic Trophies
Orlando Pirates defender Tapelo Xoki has revealed the club’s renewed determination to complete a historic domestic sweep after already securing two trophies, as the Buccaneers shift their focus to the Betway Premiership and Nedbank Cup.
Pirates have enjoyed an impressive campaign so far, lifting both the MTN8 and the Carling Knockout to underline their dominance in South African football, and Xoki believes the long AFCON break allowed the team to regroup and refocus on their remaining objectives.
“The nice thing about this season is the long AFCON break that we had because we got time to relax and enjoy the successes that we had during the first half of the season,” Xoki said.
“But that is over and done now, we just have a nice second half of the season that we have to fight for. We kinda restarted, looked at the goals that we have for this season, and the Nedbank Cup is one of those goals.
“We promised ourselves that we would try until the season ends. It will not be easy, but we will take it one game at a time, and our first game against Casric Stars (in the Nedbank Cup) at home, and hopefully we will get positive results.”
The Buccaneers are currently leading the Betway Premiership standings with 35 points after 15 matches, holding a three-point advantage over second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns as they push to open a wider gap at the summit.
Pirates’ strong league form has placed them firmly on course to challenge for the title, which was won by Sundowns last season when all four major domestic trophies were shared among different clubs.
The Buccaneers’ Nedbank Cup journey has taken them to the last 16, where they have been drawn against Motsepe Foundation Championship side Casric Stars, with the venue, date, and kick-off time still to be confirmed.
Despite the difference in divisions, the former AmaZulu captain expects a difficult encounter against Casric.
“We are happy with the draw because we always wish for a home fixture, and now it’s up to us to put in the work,” Xoki added.
“It is not going to be an easy fixture; there’s always tricky playing against lower division teams. Casric Stars is a strong side; they are competing for the league in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
“It is not going to be an easy game, as I said, but we need to be at our A game. We also ask our supporters to come out in numbers to support us so that we’ll go to the next round.”
The fourth time successful MTN8 champions will be aiming to extend their lead at the top of the Betway Premiership to six points when they host Marumo Gallants at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday.
The 30-year-old, Xoki, will once again watch from the stands as he continues his recovery from the injury he sustained in a road traffic accident in the Eastern Cape in August last year while the team was returning to Gauteng from a victory over Chippa United.
