There have been several player movements between Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United in the recent past which will add spice and intrigue to their vital DStv Premiership clash on Saturday.
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Pirates need a win to boost their chances of finishing second in the league and qualifying for the CAF Champions League next season, while SuperSport are in need of points for their top-four aspirations.
The Buccaneers have long plundered Matsatsantsa for top talent, going back to Daine Klate, Tony Coyle, Dennis Masina, Jabu Mahlangu, Kermit Erasmus and, of course, Teko Modise.
Movements in the opposite direction have been less frequent, but there are still notable examples, though it seems like in-form Pirates midfielder Thalente Mbatha will not be able to play against his paren’t club as he is only on loan.
We take a look at five players who could feature against their former club on Saturday.
TERRENCE DZVUKAMANJA
Orlando Pirates to SuperSport United (July 2023)
Dzvukamanja’s move from Pirates to SuperSport at the end of last season came as something of a shock after he had a superb finish to the campaign at the Orlando Stadium, including scoring the winner in the Nedbank Cup final against Sekhukhune United. But he opted to team up again with his old coach from BidVest Wits, Gavin Hunt, and has had a strong season to date. He has 22 starts and seven sub appearances to his name in all competitions and managed six goals, not a bad return for a player who is not really and out-and-out striker.
THULANI HLATSHWAYO
Orlando Pirates to SuperSport United (July 2022)
The veteran warhorse had seen his career stumble at Pirates after joining his boyhood idols and following two seasons made the move to SuperSport in the 2022-23 campaign. He has started 23 league games this season – the same number as the last – and become an important fixture in the Matsatsantsa defence. He too has been reunited with his former coach at Wits, Hunt, who was like a father-figure to him during their successful time together at The Clever Boys. It may feel strange coming up against the team he supported as a boy, but he may also be desperate to prove a point.
ZAKHELE LEPASA
Loaned from Orlando Pirates to SuperSport United (January 2023)
Lepasa spent the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan at SuperSport from Pirates and although the goals did not flow, his form earned him a Bafana Bafana recall and he went on to play at the Africa Cup of Nations in the ivory Coast earlier this campaign. He returned to Pirates at the start of 2023-24 and started scoring goals for fun, but they have since dried up and he lost his place in the side to Tshegofatso Mabasa. Lepasa’s last start was all the way back in September, but could come back to haunt his old side.
PATRICK MASWANGANYI
SuperSport United to Orlando Pirates (July 2023)
Maswanganyi was an unknown player who had been in the lower leagues in Portugal when he joined SuperSport at the start of the 2022-23 season. But he proved a hit, even though he did not find the back of the net in his first topflight campaign. Pirates made their move and he has been nothing short of a revelation this campaign, scoring nine goals to go with six assists in 38 starts in all competitions. He has been one of the ‘buys’ of the last few transfer windows. He will be a real dangerman for SuperSport.
SIPHESIHLE NDLOVU
Orlando Pirates to SuperSport United (July 2023)
Ndlovu’s career did not really pan out at Pirates after a move from Maritzburg United in the 2019/20 season as the midfielder battled for game-time, making only 23 league starts in three seasons. The 27-year-old made the switch to SuperSport at the start of the 2022-23 season and has become a regular with Matsatsantsa and an important part of their team. He made as many league starts in his first campaign as he did in three years with Pirates.