Through the highs and lows, this season’s Betway Premiership season has delivered end-to-end action on and off the field and as Orlando Pirates get to host the defending champions at the FNB Stadium this Sunday (3.30pm kick-off), there will be a lot on the line. Both teams will get another shot to showcase just why they are the best two sides in the country currently.
Here, Obakeng Meletse looks at the three major talking points ahead of the crunch clash.
Home away from home
Fitting for a fixture of this magnitude to be hosted at the iconic FNB Stadium but perhaps puzzling to what brought about that decision as it does not only take away the little edge the Bucaneers would have had playing in front of their faithfuls but it also eases the pressure Sundowns would have had to face at the Orlando Stadium.
They will now play in a venue they know well from their duels with Kaizer Chiefs, but that only happens twice in a season, which ultimately means that for this fixture they have very little home advantage.
At their Slaughterhouse, which is renowned for being intimidation to the visiting teams, the Sea Robbers have only suffered one defeat this season and that was against Stellenbosch FC (1-0).
The need to collect all three points to keep their championship challenge alive, requires all the advantage they could get, but as it should be, they need to do their fighting on the pitch if they want to dethrone the 17-time champions.
The battle of the stars
Pirates more than the Brazilians will need to take the game by the scruff of the neck as the daunting task to close the 18-point gap could easily be extended to 21, which could essentially put an end to any title hopes they might still have, irrespective of the four games they still have in hand.
Both teams are certain to field star-studded line ups and having scored the most goals of any of the other 14 teams in the league, the fixture promises the same pattern.
Sundowns secured a dominant 4-1 win less than two months ago and with the likes of Jayden Adams and Lucas Ribeiro Costa maintaining their impressive form in their championship defense, the likes of Relebohile Mofokeng and Patrick Maswanganyi not only need to impress but they need to deliver a performance worthy of dragging their team across the finish line.
The season still promises a lot of twists and a win for Pirates, without looking too far ahead, could put them in a position where they only trail Sundowns by three points should they maximize on their games in hand.
History and form firmly with Sundowns.
Pirates have only secured a single point in the last five meetings between the two sides, as they, just like every other team in the Betway Premiership, have been on the receiving end of some harsh treatment from the defending champions.
They have lost four of their last five head-to-head encounters with Subndowns, with their recent 4-1 loss at the Loftus Versveld Stadium still fresh in the memories and for Jose Riveiro and his troops to turn things around, they will have to do what they have struggled to do in the last three seasons.
