Orlando Pirates will be looking to use Chippa United as a step ladder for their intended climb up the Betway Premiership on Sunday. Pirates may have started the season badly under new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, but they seem to have recovered nicely and are steadily moving up on the log table.
The picturesque Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium hosts this key fixture, which makes for an intriguing show-stopper for Pirates’ fifth game of the 2025/26 league campaign. It’s an encounter that pits a Buccaneers side looking to continue on their winning ways against a side desperate to pick up some positive form amid a tough period early in the season.
The fixture has often delivered in terms of excitement, and this upcoming edition is expected to be no different with both teams still some distance away from where they would have aimed to be at this stage.
After competing in the topflight for 10 consecutive seasons, the Chilli Boys find themselves among the early contenders for relegation this season. They are currently bottom of the pile after failing to win any of their four matches played so far.
Bad turn
What started as a promising campaign, following a gutsy draw against defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns in their opening game, has taken a turn for the worse. They have since suffered three straight defeats, going down 1-0 on their visit to newly-promoted Durban City before a crushing 4-1 loss at home to TS Galaxy that was followed by another 1-0 defeat away to Richards Bay.
Now one of just two teams yet to register a win during the early part of the season, a win on Sunday will hand Chippa three points that could see them leapfrogging up to five teams currently stationed above them.
They have remained active in the transfer market throughout the current window, having roped in three more new signings over the past week. Experienced forwards Somila Ntsundwana and Justice Figuaredo have been brought in for a much-needed boost up front, with former Mamelodi Sundowns right-back Harold Majadibodu also joining in time to contend for a spot in what will likely be a testing encounter against the Buccaneers.
Up and away for Bucs
The Buccaneers meanwhile have made a steady climb up the standings after finding themselves in unwanted territory following a tough start to their Premiership campaign. Their run of good results also includes cup success, having booked their spot in another MTN8 final.
They are currently placed ninth in the Premiership standings with six points on the board, following wins at home to Stellenbosch and league newcomers Orbit College. Now back on the road, Pirates are on a quest for their first away win in the current league campaign.
Victory on Sunday could potentially propel them as high as the top three, depending on the weekend’s results across the league.
The fixtures in the lead-up to the trip to Gqeberha have however come at a cost, with star forward Relebohile Mofokeng recently joining the injury list. He was sidelined in midweek against Orbit, but could be soon back in action while the likes of captain Nkosinathi Sibisi and Deano van Rooyen remain on the mend after picking up knocks during the course of the season.
