Sparks are expected to fly at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday afternoon when Orlando Pirates host Mamelodi Sundowns in the first leg of the MTN8 semifinals. There’s been some war talk ahead of the clash, and that is set to keep the fans on the edge of their seats.
Again, Sundowns’ free-scoring striker marksman Peter Shalulile will be a marked man, and the Buccaneers have already formulated a plan to keep the Namibian international at bay. Tapelo Xoki is the man earmarked to stop the deadly Namibian.
Shalulile himself is aware of the attention that he will receive from the Pirates defenders and says that he will get his teammates more involved in the game so that he does not have to fight all alone upfront.
Fans have been talking about this encounter since the draw was made. This is the first leg, and the second match will be hosted by the Brazilians in Pretoria.
Said Shalulile: “One thing about Sundowns is that we are capable of creating a lot of chances, and it is up to the guys upfront to make those chances count. The belief is there, the courage is there, so we will go out there and give it our best. Pirates have great players to be honest, and their defence is not easy to score against. But the mark of a champion is to keep on knocking on the door until the goals come.
“It won’t be easy, but I believe we are capable of creating chances against big teams – we must just make sure that we convert our chances. What we do at Sundowns is to just give our best and we make sure that we are always prepared.”
Xoki, a muscular defender, says they will formulate a plan for the Downs number 9. “We have played against Peter in many matches and we know his qualities. Come match day, and we will find a way on how to handle him. We also have to deal with the other Sundowns guys, because it is not only him that can hurt us in that team,” said Xoki.
“We have to focus on the collective and not only on Peter, he has done very well for the club and scored so many goals. He does not do it alone. The other guys give him supply, and we have to be alert and stop that supply from coming. So, our coach will deal with the tactics, and we will have to follow them and adjust in case things do not go the way that we want. One thing for sure is to stay focused and alert,” he added.
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