Pirates hoping to bounce back against Maritzburg
Kick-off is at 7.30pm CAT (SA)
The Buccaneers' last avenue to silverware for the season was closed on Friday when they lost to RS Berkane on penalties in the final of Africa's second-tier club competition.
The final round of the DStv Premiership took place on Saturday, but Pirates' involvement in the Confederation Cup meant they had fixtures to catch up on.
The Soweto giants will play Maritzburg, Royal AM and SuperSport United in the space of six days and they still have a chance of finishing in the top two.
Amabhakabhaka are currently seventh in the standings and trail second-placed Cape Town City by nine points with nine left to play for.
Pirates head coach Mandla Ncikazi admits he now has to lift the team's spirits for the midweek clash against United.
"As coaches we have a responsibility to lift up the players, we are playing a league match on Tuesday and these are the same players who must play," Ncikazi said.
"It has not been a good season for our team and the reasons are the ones that you saw today where a match is dominated but the outcome and the final product is not equally like the way we played.
"We have a responsibility, the players are experienced and coaches must do their job and motivate the players to be ready for the next challenges.
"Pirates will come back, Pirates will play better that we did today. It is a big brand which just needs to prove that on the field of play."
The Team of Choice have no chance of making the top eight, but they could finish in 10th place - two higher than their current standing.
Ernst Middendorp's side consigned Baroka to the GladAfrica Championship with a 1-0 victory at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Saturday.
It was the KZN outfit's second win in three games and extended their unbeaten run in the league to four outings.
Middendorp has no plans to alter his set-up for Bucs, confirming that those who played against Bakgaga will be ready to go again in midweek.
"It's definitely something where already the last number of games we didn't really change the set-up, we didn't really change the personnel too much and it's not our ambition at the moment to go with a total different set-up for the match against Pirates on Tuesday," he said.
"In this moment it's about getting the players right. We have players with a certain age - Nazeer Allie, Clayton Daniels - but they do absolutely a fantastic job in the last months.
"We will see but I want to keep as much as possible the structure and the personnel on the field. I think the good understanding is definitely something as fundamental to what gives us a convincing result in the end of the day."
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Orlando Pirates
Thembinkosi Lorch: The 28-year-old midfielder will be keen to make up for his missed penalty against the Oranges Boys in the shootout. Lorch scored his first goal of the season from the spot in the 117th minute to force penalties and he will be eager to help Pirates back onto the African stage by bagging his first league goal of the campaign against Maritzburg.
Deon Hotto: The Buccaneers' dangerman. The Namibian winger is the club's top scorer this term with six goals, while he has also contributed three assists in the league. His performances have been a bit off in recent weeks, which shows in the numbers - he has gone four league games without a goal since bagging a brace against SuperSport, which also coincides with the team's struggles.
Maritzburg United
Friday Samu: The Zambian has enjoyed a fine start to his career at Maritzburg, scoring four goals in 11 appearances since his arrival earlier this year. Samu scored in successive games against TS Galaxy and Royal AM and will be hoping to sign off in style on Tuesday by getting on the scoresheet at the Orlando Stadium.
Keegan Ritchie: The 31-year-old left-back will be a threat on set-pieces for the Team of Choice. He set up Samu's winner against Royal from a whipped-in corner to provide his second assist of the season. Ritchie opened his account for the campaign with a sensational strike from outside the area against Sekhukhune United.
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