- Sundowns take on Pirates in the biggest clash of the weekend
- The PSL is almost at halfway stage
- Kenyan winger Ovella has moved to South Africa
After a month’s break, the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) returns on the last weekend of the year and among the blockbuster ties expected will be a clash between giants Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns.
League leaders Sundowns are seeking a seventh victory in a row in the league and a resounding return. They sit top of the standings with 28 points after 12 matches, five ahead of second placed Richards Bay who have played a match more.
Head coach Rulani Mokwena expects a tough duel from Pirates.
“It’s going to be an interesting game because there’s two very good teams meeting. Breaks are always very difficult to judge up until you have the performances on the pitch, which is why I always say that the game of Football belongs to the players because they’re the people that put the product on the pitch and we are yet to see what the players put on the pitch on Friday,” said the tactician ahead of the tie.
Sundowns won their last meeting
Their last meeting was in the Carling Black Label Cup which Sundowns won 4-0 but before that, Pirates had won 3-0 in the MTN 8 Cup meeting.
“We are just hopeful that the work we’ve done can give us a very good performance because we know that playing against Orlando Pirates, we don’t have a chance of winning if we don’t play well,” added the coach.
Mamelodi won their last PSL match 3-0 at Chatsworth Stadium against Royal AM, their sixth consecutive victory.
Orlando Pirates slumped 1-0 against Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium in their last PSL match to snap a three-match unbeaten streak, putting them in fifth place on 19 points.
The previous PSL fixture between the sides saw Mamelodi triumph 4-1 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium last season. Pavol Safranko led Mamelodi Sundowns with two goals, netting in the 61st and 72nd minute.
Themba Zwane and Peter Shalulile also were on the scoresheet. Fortune Makaringe scored Orlando Pirates’ lone goal in the 92nd minute.
Mamelodi have got the better of Pirates of late, unbeaten in their last five PSL matches (W4 D1 L0). Pirates are looking for their first league win in encounters between the two sides since January 2020. Mamelodi sundowns have outscored Orlando Pirates 10-1 during their unbeaten streak.
Former Sharks winger Ovella moves to South Africa
Meanwhile, Former Kariobangi Sharks forward Ovella Ochieng has made a return to South Africa and signed for top tier side Richards Bay.
Ovella had a brief stint with another South African side Marumo Gallants last season, but left even before his contract ended to finish the campaign in Botswana.
“I am delighted for a new start and I am looking forward to the new challenge,” said the speedy winger, who has also had stints in Sweden.
He has been training in Nairobi and was also on the verge of signing for Kenya Police FC and even featured for them in several friendly matches, but did not reach an agreement.
Richards Bay have had a good start to the South African premier Soccer League season and are currently second in the standings with 23 points after 13 matches, five behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns. They will look to bounce back to winning ways after drawing their last match.
Their next assignment, which will be Ovella’s first match for the team, will be against Moroka Swallows on Saturday.
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