The once Orlando Pirates’ celebrated star winger, Monnapule Saleng, will watch from the grandstand as his newfound club, Orbit College FC, faces the Sea Robbers in the Betway Premiership clash at Orlando Stadium on Tuesday night.
Saleng, together with attacking midfielder Thuso Molekeki and left-back Yanga Madiba, was released by Pirates to the newly promoted North West side through a loan, and one of the conditions is that they are restricted from featuring against their parent club (Orlando Pirates) whenever Orbit plays against Pirates.
This restriction stems from a standard clause in their loan deals, designed to prevent loaners from playing against their parent club.
Back-to-back victories
Pirates, currently ranked 12th on the log with three points, have had a challenging start to the new season, having lost their first two league matches, 1-0 at home to the current log leaders, Sekhukhune, and 2-1 away to Marumo Gallants in Bloemfontein.
This time around, the Soweto giants go into their match against Orbit with their heads held up high, following two positive results against Mamelodi Sundowns and Stellenbosch FC in the MTN8 and league matches, respectively.
The victory over Sundowns this past Saturday at the Loftus Stadium — a 4-1 triumph via penalties in two-legged semi-final clashes — paved the way to their fourth consecutive final match of the competition.
Before their win over Sundowns, Abdeslam Ouaddou’s coached side had slightly regained their hard-to-please fans after registering a 1-0 league victory over Stellenbosch FC on August 20 at home.
Victory against Orbit tonight, if it happens, will guarantee Ouaddou more support from Pirates’ diehard fans while improving their position on the log.
Six league matches
In total, six league matches will be played at various venues across the country, with newcomers Durban City looking forward to continuing with their sterling performance in the elite league when they take on Polokwane City away at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
The KwaZulu-Natal side comfortably occupies the fifth position with seven points after winning two of their first three matches and drawing one.
The rest of Tuesday night’s league matches are Stellenbosch FC v Marumo Gallants (Danie Craven Stadium), TS Galaxy v Siwelele (Mbombela Stadium), Richards Bay v Chippa United (Princess Magogo Stadium), and Golden Arrows v Magesi FC (King Zwelithini Stadium). All the matches start at 7.30pm.
