Cape Town City still have an outside chance of winning the league title, but they know that it’s almost impossible for them to clinch the title with both Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns in pole position.
Benni McCarthy’s men welcome the Buccaneers to the Athlone Stadium on Saturday, but all eyes will be on Micho Sredojevic’s men to see if they can keep the pressure on Sundowns.
Sundowns are only in action next week Tuesday, and this gives Pirates a chance to open a three-point gap at the top of the standings.
However, the big question is whether or not the Sea Robbers will rise to the occasion and keep Sundowns on their toes going into the final matches of the season on May 11.
Pirates’ record against City is worrying, and they will need to bring their A-game in order to enhance their chances of winning their first league title since 2012.
While this match could potentially decide the destination of this season’s PSL trophy, it is the Sundowns game against Golden Arrows that is expected to paint a clearer picture as to who will win the trophy.
Pirates players have previously choked under pressure, and on numerous occasion, they have failed to come to the party when it matters the most.
In 2013 and 2015, the Soweto giants played in the finals of the Caf Champions League and Caf Confederation Cup, but despite their solid run in the build-up to the said finals, they cracked under pressure and actually lost both ties.
They also reached several domestic Cup finals between 2013 and 2018, only to win one – the 2014 edition of the Nedbank Cup – under the tutelage of Vladimir Vermezovic.
They went into the majority of those finals as strong favourites, but they still couldn’t deal with the expectations and the pressure, hence they lost almost all.
The game against Cape Town City is seen as a Cup final for Pirates because it could define their promising season in so many ways.
It could also define Sredojevic’s tenure, although many could argue that the Serbian mentor has done a tremendous job since rejoining the club two seasons ago.
Nonetheless, Pirates have to go all out and beat City because failure to do so may result in them missing out on the league title, especially with Sundowns’ remaining matches deemed ‘too easy’ by the majority of football fans.
Western Cape is not a happy-hunting province for Pirates, meaning they will have to work twice as hard against a City team that enjoys playing them anywhere in the country.
Benni McCarthy has already fired a few warning shots toward the direction of his former club, and the fact that the Citizens have been so impressive since January means Pirates can expect a very difficult and tricky game on Saturday.
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