Orlando Pirates will host Chippa United at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday 18 September for their first league game of the new Premiership season. Catch the action live on SuperSport.
This game will mark the 23rd league meeting between the two sides since the 2012-13 season.
Of their previous 22 league games Pirates have dominated with 15 wins to Chippa’s 4 there have been three draws.
Chippa United’s biggest win in this fixture is a 2-0 home league victory which came in the 2015-16 season, while Pirates biggest win is a 4-1 triumph at home also in 2015-16.
Pirates had won seven successive home league games against Chippa from the 2014-15 season onwards until a 0-0 draw between the teams in the 2021-22 season.
At home against Chippa in 11 league games Pirates record reads W8 D1 L2, the two losses coming in the 2012-13 and 2022-23 seasons both 1-0 losses.
From the 2014-15 season when Chippa returned to the topflight Pirates have managed to win at least one game against Chippa in each of the last 10 seasons.
This fixture has seen a total of 50 goals scored across 22 previous league meetings, Chippa have scored 15 goals and Pirates 35 goals.
The most goals in a game between the two sides is 6 which was in Pirates 4-2 home league win in the 2018-19 season.
Last season the teams clashed three times twice in the league with the first game with Chippa as hosts ended 1-1, Pirates won their home clash 2-0. In between Pirates defeated Chippa 3-1 away in a Nedbank Cup Semifinal.
Prior to Pirates 2-0 home league win last season the previous four league wins in this fixture were all for the away team, it was the first home league win for either team since Pirates defeated Chippa 1-0 in the 2020-21 season.
Following his brace against Chippa United in Pirates 2-0 home league win last season Tshegofatso Mabasa has now taken his goal tally against Chippa United to five goals. All of which have come in league games.
Pirates at home against Chippa United have played hosted to them in 11 league games of these they have won eight games, there has been one draw and Chippa have two wins.
Prior to losing against Chippa at home in the 2022-23 season Pirates were undefeated in eight home league games against Chippa (W7 D1).
Pirates won seven home league games in a row against Chippa between the 2014-15 season and the 2020-21 season before drawing with them 0-0 in the 2022-23 season.
There has only been two 0-0 draws between the teams their first ever meeting with Chippa as hosts in 2012-13 and with Pirates as host in 2021-22.
Of the 11 league games between the teams hosted by Pirates 10 have produced a winner. There has only been one draw.
Pirates have failed to score against Chippa United at home three times, they have scored 18 goals over the 11 games that they have hosted them and conceded just 7. They have failed to score at home against them in two losses in 2022-23 and 2012-13 as well as a 0-0 draw in 2021-22.
Over the previous 22 league games between the teams Pirates have kept 10 clean-sheets while Chippa have kept six.
Pirates have twice won this fixture by a three-goal margin doing so in the 2015-16 season a 4-1 home win and in the 2020-21 season a 3-0 away win.
This fixture has produced 50 goals over the past 22 league games at 2.28 goals per game, with Pirates scoring 35 at 1.60 goals per game and Chippa 22 at 0.68 goals per game.
Head-to-head (League)
P W D L GF GA GD
Orlando Pirates 22 15 3 4 35 15 20
Chippa United 22 4 3 15 15 35 -20
ORLANDO PIRATES:
Orlando Pirates will be taking to the Orlando Stadium in what will be their 29th season since the formation of the PSL in 1996.
Orlando Pirates will be contending for their fifth league title in the PSL Era, their previous four league titles came in 2000-01, 2002-03, 2010-11 and 2011-12.
Pirates finished second on the Premiership final standings behind Mamelodi Sundowns at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. Pirates have finished second behind Sundowns in two consecutive seasons.
Jose Riveiro leads Pirates into a third league campaign he is the first Pirates coach since Ruud Krol to take charge of them for a third successive league season. Krol was at the helm of Pirates from 2008 to 2011.
Pirates kicks off their 55th successive top- flight league campaign and their 29th in the PSL era.
Pirates record on the opening day of the season in the PSL era reads P28 W15 D5 L6.
Pirates are the team with the joint second most wins along with Kaizer Chiefs on the opening day of a PSL campaign only Sundowns (16) have more wins when opening up a league campaign since 1996-97.
Pirates began the 2023-24 season with a 1-0 loss away to Stellenbosch, prior to that they opened up their league campaign at home in 2021-22 a 2-2 draw against Stellenbosch and a 1-0 win over Moroka Swallows in 2022-23.
Pirates win over Swallows in their opening game in 2022-23 is their only win in their opening league game in the last four season (D2 L1).
Pirates clean-sheet in their 1-0 win over Swallows in their opening league game of the 2022-23 campaign against Swallows is their only clean sheet in their opening league game of the last six seasons.
Pirates have never won their opening game of a league season by a bigger than two goals margin in the PSL Era, they have achieved this four times in the past winning 3-1 away against Santos, at home against Golden Arrows and Bloemfontein Celtic in 1997-98, 2016-17 and 2019-20. They also defeated Black Leopards 2-0 away from home in 2011-12.
In the PSL era Pirates have begun a league season at home 15 times previously their record in these games reads W10 D2 L3.
When Pirates have started a league season at home of their 10 wins seven have been by a single margin, and of these five have been 1-0 wins and two have been 2-1 wins.
Home and away an opening game in the PSL Era involving Pirates has ended 1-0 on 10 occasions, they have won by this scoreline six times and lost four times.
Home and away in the PSL era Pirates in their opening game of a new season have never been involved in a 0-0 draw.
Pirates have kept a clean-sheet in their opening game of a PSL season on 7 occasions.
Orlando Pirates record last season reads: P30 W14 D8 L8 GF44 GA26
Pirates victory over Chippa United last season saw them win four home league games in a row for the first time since the 2020-21 season, when they defeated Kaizer Chiefs 2-1 on the 30th January, thereafter they won 2-0 against Cape Town City on the 9th February, 1-0 against Bloemfontein Celtic on the 1st March and Maritzburg United 2-0 on 18th April all these games were played in 2021. The run ended with a 3-0 loss to Sundowns on the 2nd May.
Orlando Pirates midfielder Patrick Maswanganyi received the DStv Premiership Players’ Player of the Season, DStv Premiership Midfielder of the Season, and Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament awards at the PSL Awards at the end of the previous season. In the 2023-24 season he recorded five league goals and four assists.
Paseka Mako who is now an Orlando Pirates player scored a goal for Chippa United when Pirates beat Chippa United 2-1 in the 2016-17 season. In a home win for Pirates.
Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro will face off against Chippa United for the fifth time in the DStv Premiership his record against them reads W2 D1 L1. He recorded his first home league win against Chippa when Pirates beat Chippa United 2-0 last season
Pirates have made the following signings ahead of the 2023-24 season: Gilberto (Petro Atletico), Thuso Moleleki (Orbit College), Selaelo Rasebotja (SuperSport United), Thalente Mbatha (SuperSport United), Bayanda Thabethe and Deano Van Rooyen (Stellenbosch).
IN THE 2023-24 SEASON ORLANDO PIRATES PERFORMED AS FOLLOWS
Pirates along with Stellenbosch recorded 14 wins last season which was seven wins shy of the 21 that league winners Mamelodi Sundowns recorded.
Orlando Pirates won 9 home games last season just behind Mamelodi Sundowns and TS Galaxy (10 each). The Buccaneers only recorded 5 wins on the road.
Pirates managed to win 30 points at home last season and 20 on the road they averaged two points a game at home and 1.3 on the road.
They scored 44 goals which was the second most behind the 49 that Mamelodi Sundowns scored.
Orlando Pirates last season only scored five goals outside the box while 39 were scored inside the box.
They had the highest shooting accuracy (46.02 per cent) ,and a shot conversion rate of 11.49 per cent
Orlando Pirates attempted a total of 383 shots including blocks with 133 shots on target and 156 shots off target.
They made the second most successful passes in the league with a total of 11843.
CHIPPA UNITED:
Chippa United will be competing in their 12th season in the South African top- flight. They are yet to win a Premiership.
Chippa United’s record in their opening game of a PSL season reads P11 W3 D5 L3.
Chippa are aiming to start a league season unbeaten for a sixth season, they are undefeated in their last five opening league games (W1 D4), they last lost their opening league game of a season in 2018-19 going down 2-0 away to Bloemfontein Celtic.
In their opening game of a league season Chippa have scored seven goals and conceded seven. Their 11 opening 11 league games have produced just 14 goals at 1.27 goals per game.
For the second season in a row Chippa opens up a league campaign away to Soweto opponents began last season with a 0-0 draw against Chiefs.
It will also be their fourth in a row that they open a league season in Gauteng in their opening game they faced SuperSport United in the 2022-23 season in Atteridgeville, before that defeated Sekhukhune in Tembisa in 2021-22.
This is the second time Chippa will travel to face Pirates in an opening league fixture they lost 1-0 to them in 2017-18. Thamsanqa Gabuza scored the only goal of the game for Pirates in the 37th minute.
Chippa United have been involved in five opening game draws two have ended 1-1 against Cape Town City and SuperSport United in 2020-21 and 2022-23 they were away in both games. They have been involved in three 0-0 in their opening league game two at home against Chiefs and Stellenbosch in 2015-16 and 2019-20 and away last season against Chiefs.
Chippa United are undefeated in their last five opening league games, they drew in 2019-20, 2020-21, 2022-23 and 2023-24, they did win away against Sekhukhune in 2021-22.
Chippa will for a fifth season in a row start a league campaign away from home.
Overall Chippa begins a league season on the road for an eighth time, their record when starting a league season on the road reads W1 D3 L3.
Chippa when starting a league campaign on the road have one win against Sekhukhune in 2021-22, the have lost to Sundown 1-0 in 2012-13, Pirates 1-0 in 2017-18 and to Celtic 2-0 in 2018-19. They drew with Cape Town City and SuperSport both 1-1 in 2020-21 and 2021-22 they drew 0-0 with Chiefs last season.
Apart from their win over Sekhukhune away in 2021-22, Chippa’s two other opening game wins have been at home in 2014-15 a 2-0 win over Platinum Stars and a 2-1 win over Free State Stars in 2016-17.
Chippa have kept a clean-sheet in their opening league game five times, twice on the road against Sekhukhune in 2021-22 and Chiefs in 2023-24.
Chippa United’s record last season reads: P30 W8 D10 L12 GF26 GA29
In the 2023-24 season Chippa United goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali made 76 saves, the most of any goalkeeper in the league.
Chippa United made the following signings ahead of the 2024-25 Premiership season: Thobani Jacobs, Andile Jali, Samkelo Jali (Maritzburg United), Boy Madigwane, Sifiso Mazibuko (Jomo Cosmos), Seun Ndlovu (Kruger United), Giovanni Philander (FN Rangers), Xolani Sithole (Pretoria Callies), Aphelele Teto (Livingston, Scotland) and Thobani Jacobs (Pretoria Callies)
IN THE 2023-24 SEASON CHIPPA UNITED PERFORMED AS FOLLOWS
Chippa had received 66 yellow cards, this was the joint second most in the league along with AmaZulu. Mamelodi Sundowns received 70 yellow cards.
Chippa United had the joint fewest fouls won in the final third (63) along with Royal AM and Golden Arrows.
Chippa United made the fourth least touches (16278) only Cape Town Spurs, Polokwane City and Moroka Swallows made fewer.
Chippa United made the third least successful passes into the opposition half (3528).
Chippa failed to win any of their final six league games last season (L4 D2).
Chippa on the road last season won just 14 points they also managed just three wins away from home. They lost seven and drew five of their remaining road games.
They went undefeated in their first three away league games last season drawing the first against Chiefs and winning the next two against Cape Town Spurs and Richards Bay. They failed to win their next seven (D2 L5) before a win against SuperSport United, they ended the season winless in their last four away league games (D2 L2).
© Yusuf Mohamed