Pirates looking to match winning start to a season

Orlando Pirates will be looking to match their record-breaking start of a league season when they take on TS Galaxy away in the Betway Premiership at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday.

Pirates have won their first five matches of the new campaign and sit on top of the standings, three points clear of second placed champions Mamelodi Sundowns, whose 100 per cent start to the season was ended by Polokwane City on Sunday.

If Pirates make it six out six on Tuesday evening (live on SuperSport at 7:30pm), it will match their best start to a season in the Premier Soccer League stretching back to 1996.

That was in the 2002/03 campaign, when they went onto win the league title.

They won their first six matches from the kick off of the campaign, beating Manning Rangers 1-0, Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0, Hellenic 2-0 and Black Leopards 3-1 in their opening four games, which were all at home.

They then went away and beat Ajax Cape Town 3-0 before returning home for a sixth successive win. as they got two late goals to beat Dynamos 2-0.

Their six-match streak produced 13 goals and only one conceded to Vhonani Mulaudzi of Leopards. Lesley Manyathela scored five and Benedict Vilakazi three of the 13 for Pirates.

The winning run came to an end in their seventh match, was which a 1-0 loss at neighbours Wits University.

But, under coach Roy Baretto, Pirates went on to win the league by six points from second placed SuperSport United.

This season, Pirates have played four of their opening five matches of the league season at home, with victory over Chippa United (2-1), Polokwane City (3-0), SuperSport United (2-0) and AmaZulu 2-1 at the Orlando Stadium last Friday. Their lone away game at 1-0 win away at Richards Bay.

The top scorer has been Evidence Makgopa with three goals.

Last season, Sundowns won their opening 11 games of the season and romped to a seventh successive league title.