Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Oupa Manyisa says there is nothing special about playing against his former side Orlando Pirates.

The 29-year-old managed to score a total of 24 goals and assisted a further 17 from 225 appearance in all competitions during his nine years at Pirates.

Manyisa says he doesn’t know what to expect from his former side but he insists that he’ll put his emotions aside when the two side’s take to the field on Saturday.

“Playing against Orlando Pirates does not make it special for me because playing football is part of my work. I have to go there and enjoy myself and make sure that I help the team. I am no longer at Pirates, I have a new home now,” Manyisa said.

“I don’t know what we can expect from Pirates, but we all know that they are a good team. They have been playing good and entertaining football, like you saw when they played Baroka and won 3-1. They know what they are doing, but we have to focus on ourselves and make sure we do what we have been doing.”

Sundowns has extended their lead at the top of the Absa Premiership standings to four points after claiming a 2-1 victory over Ajax Cape Town on Tuesday.

“I have been doing well since I have been playing. It’s because of the teammates that I have. They have been encouraging me and the technical team always encourages us to enjoy ourselves when we get to the field. We don’t have to stress about anything, we just need to go out there and play football,” he added.

“We are four points clear at the top, but we have to know that the league is still far. We have to take it one game at a time and do our best in every match that we play.”

Mamelodi Sundowns will go head-to-head with Orlando Pirates in their mouth-watering Absa Premiership clash on Saturday, with kick-off set for 15:30.