Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro and his team set sail to achieve the unthinkable – the Betway Premiership trophy, CAF Champions League and two cups, one of which the Buccaneers have bagged already.
Winning the quadruple is a milestone no team has achieved not even Orlando Pirates nor Mamelodi Sundowns who’ve been the better team in the last eight seasons.
Coach Riveiro however stands a chance of winning all trophies up for grabs with the Buccaneers. Pirates has already won the MTN8 title and are currently in the quarter-finals of the Nedbank Cup and CAF Champions League.
The Soweto giants are also contenders for the Betway Premiership honours, trailing defending champions Sundowns with four matches in hand. Despite that, Sundowns aren’t showing signs of dropping their form as they mounted more pressure by extending their league lead following a 4-1 win against Sekhukhune on Wednesday.
CAF Champions League
In the CAF Champions League, Orlando Pirates face Algerian outfit MC Alger in the qaurter-finals with the advantage of playing the second leg of the encounter at home.
Winning the Champions League may be more overwhelming for the Buccaneers than winning the league or cup, given the club has one CAF title in the cabinet and claiming a second would make them the only South African club with two titles.
Betway Premiership
Despite trailing Sundowns in the league with four games in hand, which is in no way an advantage of “given wins” for them, Pirates have one hoop to get across if they stand a chance at claiming the league’s top honour which is beating leaders Mamelodi Sundowns itself as both sides go head-to-head in mid-March while also hoping Masandawana drop points which may be unlikely, despite them facing a somewhat tough encounter against Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday.
In the last 10 league games alone, Sundowns have been in better form than Pirates, picking up nine wins with a single loss, compared to Pirates’ seven wins with three losses. As we approach the final stretch of the league, Pirates’ will have to win their games in hand to remain in the battle for a league title – a first for them since well over a decade ago.
Nedbank Cup
Following their 3-1 victory over Baroka in the Round of 16 of the Nedbank Cup, Riveiro’s men stand a chance of facing Gavin Hunt’s Supersport United in the quarter-finals. For Supersport, beating Pirates may be a bit of a mission on its own as Pirates are defending champions and look to grab the cup for a third consecutive season, which again has never been done by any PSL club.
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