Orlando Pirates Reserves head down to the Cape Winelands this weekend ahead of their DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) encounter with Stellenbosch. Malta Park hosts this titanic clash which gets underway on Sunday morning.
As the 10th game week of this season’s DDC action wraps up, two teams currently in the top half of the standings clash in a matchup known that has delivered some gripping contests in recent years.
Form Guide
It’s a tough assignment for the Bucs Reserves, who cross paths with the defending champions a week after a tough result at home. They lost 3-2 in their game against Gauteng rivals SuperSport United, their second defeat in the ongoing campaign.
This meant that they were unable to add to their 15 points earned through four wins and three draws in their previous fixtures. It was the latest result in what has been a few weeks of mixed results for Pirates, who have won just two of their last five games with a stalemate at home taking their tally to seven points during this period.
Having started the weekend in fifth place, they will be looking for a win that could place them two points of their hosts, who go into the clash sitting at the summit after nagging 20 points in their nine matches.
For Stellies, the showdown with the young Buccaneers comes amid a fruitful spell of results. A goalless stalemate away to Kaizer Chiefs left them two points short of a possible 15 in their last five games.
They have lost only once since the beginning of the season and will look to pull away from the chasing pack as they go in search of an unprecedented third title in the DDC.
Head-to-Head
The Bucs Reserves and their Maroons’ counterparts have had a few titanic tussles over the years. Close margins have decided the fixtures between the two sides, most recently in the previous campaign where the team from the Cape Winelands prevailed with a 1-0 scoreline in each of the two games played.
Victory has eluded the young Buccaneers since the 2021/22 season where Mpumelelo Ndaba’s second-half strike handed them a win away from home. This was avenged through a fighting comeback in the latter half of the same campaign when Jarred van de Burg and Devin Titus netted to hand their side the three points away from home after Ndumiso Ngiba had opened the scoring for the hosts.
In the last six games between the two sides, Stellenbosch have won three with Pirates bagging one victory, while two matches have finished in a share of the spoils. As a result, the reigning champions also lead the goal-scoring stakes with six scored and four conceded.
How to Follow Orlando Pirates Reserves vs Stellenbosch Reserves
The game kicks off at 10:00 and will not be televised. Live updates will be provided across Orlando Pirates social media platforms.
