With a place in next season's CAF Champions League within reach, Orlando Pirates look to add three more points to their DStv Premiership total on Saturday at Orlando Stadium against Cape Town City, who are aiming to end the season on a high. Catch all the action live on SuperSport and Showmax Pro.
Orlando Pirates sit in third place on 43 points, a point behind second-placed SuperSport United who currently occupy a spot in the CAF Champions League. Fourth-placed Kaizer Chiefs, the first club outside of the CAF Confederation Cup place, are two points behind Pirates.
Cape Town City are placed fifth on 35 points, trailing Orlando Pirates by eight points for a spot in the CAF Confederation Cup.
The previous PSL fixture between the sides saw Cape Town City win 2-1 at DHL Stadium in January. Juan Camilo Zapata scored first for Cape Town City in the 31st minute levelling the scored at 1-1. Darwin González also was on target, netting the game winner in the 74th minute. Deon Hotto scored the lone goal for Orlando Pirates in the 20th minute when putting them 1-0 ahead.
Cape Town City have got the better of Pirates of late, unbeaten in their last three PSL matches (W1 D2 L0).
Both games between the teams last season ended in draws the first fixture with City as hosts ended 1-1, the second with Pirates as hosts ended 0-0.
There have been 8 drawn games out the previous 13 league clashes between the teams, with Pirates winning two games and Cape Town City three. Both of the goalless games in this game have come with Pirates as hosts in 2016-17 and last season.
There is yet to be an away winner in this fixture. With all five previous wins in this fixture achieved by the home team, with Cape Town City winning three games and Pirates two.
Pirates are looking for their first league win in encounters between the two clubs since February 2021 a 2-0 home win. Cape Town City have outscored Orlando Pirates 3-2 during their unbeaten streak.
Should Pirates fail to win they will go four league games against Cape Town City without a win for the second time, they went six league games without winning against them (D4 L2), starting with the teams second clash in 2017-18 through their first meeting in 2019-20. They ended the run winning the second league encounter between the teams 2-0 in 2019-20 at home.
The previous 13 league clashes between the teams have produced 32 goals at 2.46 goals per game with each team scoring 1.23 goals per game.
The highest scoring game between the teams took place with Pirates as hosts on the 28th September 2019, the game ended 3-3. Cape Town City took a 2-0 lead through Thabo Nodada and Kermit Erasmus on 7 and 9 minutes, before Pirates scored three goals with Happy Jele in the 23rd minute, Tshegofatso Mabaso on 45 minutes and Alfred Ndengane in the 57th minute putting them 3-2 up. Shane Roberts netted an 85th minute equalizer for Cape Town City.
Against teams in the top five this season Pirates have generally struggled in 7 of these games their record reads W1 D1 L5.
Pirates have collected four points of a possible 21 against teams in the top five, they have won one game at home in March again SuperSport and drawn away against SuperSport 0-0 earlier in the season. Otherwise they lost five games home and away to Sundowns and Chiefs and away from home to Cape Town City.
Against teams presently in the top five Cape Town City’s record reads P6 W2 D1 L3.
Against teams presently in the top five Cape Town City have won 7 of a possible 18 points, they have managed to win against Pirates and Chiefs both at home and lost to Sundowns at home and SuperSport home and away. While they drew with Sundowns away from home.
Victory for Cape Town City hands them their first league double over Pirates and it will also be the first time that the away team would win a league game in this fixture.
A win for Pirates will see the home team win each game in this fixture for only the second time along with the 2017-18 season when each team won 1-0 at home, Cape Town City first followed by Pirates.
In this fixture Pirates have scored 8 goals at home and 8 goals away from home while Cape Town City have scored 11 goals at home and just 5 away.
Of the previous eight drawn games between the teams two have ended 0-0, just one game 1-1, while four games have ended 2-2 and one game 3-3.
Head to head league games only
P W D L GF GA GD
Orlando Pirates 13 2 8 3 16 16 0
Cape Town City 13 3 8 2 16 16 0
Orlando Pirates
Pirates won their last PSL match 2-0 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium against Chippa United, extending their winning streak to four. Cape Town City's last PSL match resulted in a 2-2 draw against AmaZulu at DHL Stadium to extend their unbeaten streak to six (W3 D3 L0).
The performances of Monnapule Saleng have been important for Pirates this season. The attacking midfielder is their leading scorer with nine goals, which is tied for the third highest in the league's scoring charts in 2022/2023, five of those having been the tone-setting first of the match.
Saleng has 14 goal involvements this season scoring 9 goals and making five assists the joint most number of goal contributions along with Sundowns Peter Shalulile who has scored 11 goals and made 3 assists.
Saleng has more goal contributions this season than their leading goal contributor from last season Deon Hotto who had 13, he scored 8 goals and made 5 assists.
Another goal for Saleng will see him become the first Pirates player to take his scoring tally for the season into double figures in the league since Gabadhino Mhango in 2019-20 who scored 16 goals.
Should Saleng make another assist he will be the first Pirates player since Thembinkosi Lorch in 2018-19 to lay on 6 assists in a single season, Lorch made 7 that campaign in addition to scoring 6 goals. While also in 2018-19 Augustine Mulenga was able to make 8 assists in the league, the most for Pirates that season.
Pirates are six games in all competitions undefeated, they have won all of these games winning five in open play and their last match a Nedbank Cup Quarterfinal on penalties.
Pirates are on a four game winning streak in the league, they last won five in a row in the 2019-20 season when winning six league games in succession between January and February 2020.
Pirates have won five of their last six league games the only loss in this run was a 1-0 away defeat on the 25th February to Kaizer Chiefs.
Hosts Pirates have secured 23 points (W7 D2 L3) from a possible 36 on offer in 12 PSL contests on home soil this season. Cape Town City have three wins, three draws, and six losses on their travels this season in league matches.
Pirates have won their last two home league games and are looking for a third successive home league win, they have lost just one of their last five home league games (W4), they won successive home league games against Golden Arrows and Stellenbosch in January before a loss to Sundowns. They then won their last two against Maritzburg United and SuperSport United.
Pirates last won three successive home league games last season when defeating Swallows on the 11th December 2021, thereafter they defeated Gallants and AmaZulu both 2-1 on the 20th and 23rd December 2021.
In their last six league matches, Pirates have won five and lost one.
Pirates have only won one point from a losing position this season the fewest in the league along with Richards Bay and Mamelodi Sundowns. While they have dropped only five points from winning positions with only Sundowns and Richards Bay (both 4 dropping fewer).
Cape Town City
Khanyisa Mayo and González have been Cape Town City's most prolific players, netting eight and six times, respectively.
Cape Town City are looking to add to a three-match away unbeaten streak (W2 D1 L0). They haven't been defeated away since February 4 against SuperSport United.
Should Cape Town City not lose they would go four successive away league games without a loss for the first time since last season when they did not lose five away league games in a row (W3 D2), before losing their final league game of the season away against Stellenbosch.
Cape Town City, meanwhile, have won three and drawn three in their last six.
No team has had a larger swing in points than Cape Town City this season they have won 9 points from losing positions the second most points won when in a losing situation behind AmaZulu (13), while they have dropped 16 points from winning positions.
Cape Town City goalkeeper Darren Keet has made 61 saves this season, the third most by any goalkeeper in the league. Only Salim Magoola of Richards Bay (77) and Veli Mothwa of AmaZulu (66) have made more.