Orlando Pirates will be determined to protect their momentum when they host Durban City for Thursday’s Betway Premiership clash at Orlando Amstel Arena in Soweto.
The match kicks off at 7:30 pm CAT.
CURRENT FORM
Pirates bounced back from an early scare to beat La Cure Waves 3-1 at home on Saturday, completing their CAF Champions League preliminary-round progress after winning the tie 3-1 on aggregate.
Unbeaten in the Betway Premiership with 13 points from five matches and occupying the second spot, a home win would cut into Mamelodi Sundowns’ seven-point lead and allow the Buccaneers to fully utilise their three games in hand.
Tournament debutants City, on the other hand, followed their first-leg advantage with an impressive 2-1 victory over Rukinzo in Burundi, sealing a 3-1 aggregate CAF Confederation Cup qualifying win.
Sitting on six points from five Betway Premiership games with only three goals scored, a first away league win this season would lift ninth-placed City out of mid-table and reward the league’s second-tightest defence.
The sides already produced a tight MTN8 quarterfinal this season, with Pirates prevailing 2-1 after extra time. Both teams will want Thursday’s rematch to settle the score in the league: Bucs to show they can beat City inside 90 minutes, and the KZN side to prove that near-miss was no fluke.
TEAM NEWS
Orlando Pirates have Tshepang Moremi back after a two-match CAF ban and coach Abdeslam Ouaddou confirmed Gamphani Lungu is returning from injury after the 3-1 win over La Cure Waves.
Evidence Makgopa and Thalente Mbatha are back in training, while André de Jong and Sihle Nduli remain out, with no suspensions for the hosts.
Meanwhile, Durban City have Gaston Sirino available after he avoided a fourth yellow card, leaving him eligible to face Pirates.
The visitors have no major confirmed injury concerns, though the trip back from Burundi may influence coach Khalil Ben Youssef’s selection and there are no suspensions for either side.
WHAT WAS SAID?
Orlando Pirates Head Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou
"My job, as a coach, is to improve players and make them give their best to win games with a winning mentality," Ouaddou said.
"The moment that I accept this showboating, I'm sorry, I'll leave the results, I'll leave everything, pack my luggage and stop training because it won't be my world. My world is winning games."
Durban City Head Coach Khalil Ben Youssef
“For the club, this is a new experience. We’re learning with every game and every round, and it’s important that we keep improving as we go along," Ben Youssef said.
“We’re pleased to be through, but that’s what we expected from ourselves. Now we have to recover, get back home and prepare for the next challenge.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kamogelo Sebelebele, Orlando Pirates: The highly rated attacker has two goals and two assists in five Betway Premiership matches and will be eager to add to that tally against Durban City.
Samkelo Maseko, Durban City: The mercurial winger scored and assisted in the win over Rukinzo in Burundi and will be confident of producing a similar display against Orlando Pirates.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL LEAGUE RESULTS
Season Result Scorers
2025/26 Durban 0-2 Pirates Makgopa, Maswanganyi
2025/26 Pirates 0-0 Durban
LEAGUE RECORD (since 2025/26)
Home
P W D L GF GA
Pirates 1 0 1 0 0 0
Durban 1 0 0 1 0 2
Away
P W D L GF GA
Pirates 1 1 0 0 2 0
Durban 1 0 1 0 0 0
Total
P W D L GF GA
Pirates 2 1 1 0 2 0
Durban 2 0 1 1 0 2