Pirates look to reclaim top spot

Orlando Pirates will target a return to the top of the Betway Premiership when they face hosts Richards Bay FC at the Richards Bay Stadium on the evening of Friday 10 April.

Kick-off is at 7:30pm CAT.

Form

Richards Bay returned to winning form this past Tuesday by defeating Stellenbosch FC 2-1 at home, thanks to goals from Sanele Barns and Moses Mthembu (penalty). The result broke a run of three defeats for the Natal Rich Boyz, who are two points off the pace needed to be in the top half of the table.

The Buccaneers picked up where they left off before the international break by thrashing Golden Arrows 5-0 this past Tuesday, as Relebohile Mofokeng and Oswin Appollis each scored a brace of goals. Pirates had racked up a 6-0 win over TS Galaxy in their last fixture before a break for FIFA action.

The Soweto giants have put together a six-game unbeaten run in the Premiership since a 2-1 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in mid-February, taking 16 points from a possible 18. Yet those two dropped points are the current difference between themselves and leaders Sundowns – meaning a win in uMhlathuze on Friday will take them into first place on the log.

What the teams are saying

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou on his team’s title race:

“Pirates are still alive and we’re going to fight until the end whatever happens.” He added, “It’s difficult, we have two teams [Pirates and Sundowns] now fighting. I think it’s very good for the South African league. For me, I always said it’s the best in Africa, so the fans deserve to have this race until the end and to have interest because if there’s no interest in football, people lose it and are not interested any more.”

Richards Bay coach Papi Zothwane on the challenge of facing Pirates:

“[It is] gonna be a difficult game, as you know that [Pirates are] chasing for the league [title]. Every time we play top teams, they think it's easy to beat us so they must not come here and think they are going to win the match. It's gonna be a tough game and we'll be ready for the match.”

Players to watch

Richards Bay – Sanele Barns

The dynamic winger/forward scored a key goal for Richards Bay in their midweek win over Stellenbosch (his former team) – his second strike in the last three Betway Premiership matches. Barns has scored a winning strike for the Natal Rich Boyz over Orlando Pirates in the past, and will hope for a repeat feat on Friday.

Orlando Pirates – Relebohile Mofokeng

A brace of superbly-taken goals in Orlando Pirates’ midweek win over Golden Arrows further underlined Relebohile Mofokeng’s rise to be one of the most influential and decisive players in the Betway Premiership. The 21-year-old will look to add his nine league goals this term and inspire the Buccaneers to rise to the top of the log.

Head-to-head

In head-to-head stats, Bay and Pirates have met in seven league matches since the 2022-23 season. The Buccaneers have four wins compared to one for the Natal Rich Boyz, while two games have been drawn.

The teams last met in the league in March, with Pirates winning 2-0 at the Orlando Stadium thanks to goals from Oswin Appollis and Evidence Makgopa.

ALL LEAGUE RESULTS

Season Result Scorers

2022/23 Pirates 0-0 Bay

2022/23 Bay 0-2 Pirates Dzvukamanja, Saleng

2023/24 Bay 0-0 Pirates

2023/24 Pirates 0-1 Bay Barns

2024/25 Bay 0-1 Pirates Dlamini

2024/25 Pirates 1-0 Bay Makgopa

2025/26 Pirates 2-0 Bay Appollis, Makgopa (pen)

LEAGUE RECORD (since 2022/23)

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