Orlando Pirates Reserves are back at Isak Steyl Stadium for a clash against Richards Bay on Saturday. It’s a morning kick-off with the two sides among the first to take to the field in another weekend of DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) action.
With the first third of the campaign done and dusted, the young Buccaneers return to home turf determined to hit their stride. They have another coastal outfit on their radar ahead of what could be an exciting clash between two teams currently located on the top half of the table.
Form Guide
Pirates enjoyed success on their travels last weekend when a brace from striker Mehluleli Maphumulo handed them a dramatic 2-1 win over defending champions and current log leaders Stellenbosch. It was a welcome return to winning ways following the disappointment of the previous week when they fell to a 3-2 defeat against SuperSport United.
The victory closed the gap between themselves and the team from the Winelands to just two points. They however remain put in fifth place in what is already shaping up to be a tight race for top spot.
The Bucs Reserves have picked up 10 points in their last five games and are eager to improve their form on home turf. This is after dropping points against Magesi and SuperSport during the recent stretch of fixtures which only yielded four out of a possible nine points.
In Richards Bay, they are up against a side in near-identical form over the past five weeks where they have also tallied up 10 points. The KwaZulu-Natal outfit also came up short in a high-scoring encounter with the 2022/23 champions, who ran off 5-3 victors against them last Saturday.
Currently eighth in the standings, they head to the Vaal chasing a win that could narrow the gap between them and the Buccaneers to just a single point.
Head-to-Head
The 2023/24 season saw Pirates claim their first league double over Richards Bay, having fallen just short of achieving that feat in the previous campaign. They did so by beating them 2-0 in the away league before putting on a dominant display in their home game played at Dobsonville Stadium, where they raced to a comfortable 3-0 lead before clinching a 4-2 victory.
With the rivalry between the two teams only dating back to January last year, they have only crossed paths four times in the DDC. It is the Bucs Reserves who have had the upper hand, winning three of these matches while only dropping points via a goalless draw on the road during the final stretch of the 2022/23 campaign.
How to Follow Orlando Pirates Reserves vs Richards Bay Reserves
The match kicks off at 10:00 and will not be televised. Live updates will be shared across Orlando Pirates’ social media channels.
