Pirates chase six in a row

by Graeme Jackson

Tuesday Oct 29, 2024. 11:00

Orlando Pirates will chase a sixth successive win at the start of the Betway Premiership, while fellow heavyweights Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs will want to bounce back from weekend defeats, as a full round of midweek action is played from Tuesday 29 to Thursday 31 October 2024.

Pirates, who racked up a fifth straight league win from the start of the season when they defeated AmaZulu FC last Friday night, will be in action on Tuesday with a match away to struggling TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium.

Buccaneers coach Jose Riveiro is happy to see his team remaining grounded – and always focused on the next opponent – as they try to end Sundowns’ dominance of the Premiership.

“[The players] are always talking about what’s coming or what we did the day before,” said the Spanish tactician. “It makes you feel that they are getting more mature as a group and they know what it takes to achieve what we want to achieve in the end, which is always the next… that makes me feel confident and very optimistic about this group.”

Tuesday also features bottom-of-the-log AmaZulu chasing their first points of the season when they host high-flying Chippa United, as well as Sekhukhune United tackling Richards Bay at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.

Wednesday then sees Chiefs and Sundowns looking to respond to weekend defeats. The Amakhosi were narrowly beaten by SuperSport United on Saturday and will have a first competitive clash with Magesi FC in Polokwane – with coach Nasreddine Nabi hoping for a more ruthless approach from his team.

“Our young players need to understand to win a football game you need to put the ball in the net but we believe that it’s a lesson, even if it’s a tough one, we hope we can do better,” said the Tunisian.

The Brazilians, meanwhile, suffered a shock reverse at the hands of Polokwane City on Sunday and will host Cape Town City at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

“I was not impressed. I was not impressed with the speed of play, I was not impressed with our chance creation, I was not impressed with our decision-making in the final third,” said Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi.

Wednesday also features Golden Arrows and Royal AM hosting SuperSport United and Polokwane City respectively, while Thursday’s lone match pits Stellenbosch FC against Marumo Gallants at the Cape Town Stadium.

Betway Premiership midweek fixtures

Times CAT

Tuesday 29 October

19:30: AmaZulu FC v Chippa United

19:30: Sekhukhune United v Richards Bay

19:30: TS Galaxy v Orlando Pirates

Wednesday 30 October

19:30: Golden Arrows v SuperSport United

19:30: Magesi FC v Kaizer Chiefs

19:30: Mamelodi Sundowns v Cape Town City

19:30: Royal AM v Polokwane City

Thursday 31 October

19:30: Stellenbosch FC v Marumo Gallants