Sekhukhune United face ‘big mountain’ in three-game Orlando Pirates test

Sekhukhune United head coach Cedric Kaze says his side face a “very big week” as they prepare to play Orlando Pirates three times in seven days.

The teams will meet in both legs of the MTN8 semi-final, with a Premier Soccer League fixture between those matches on Tuesday. Sekhukhune United, also known as Babina Noko, have started the season in strong form and will be aiming to show their own ambitions under new coach Kaze.

Orlando Pirates go into the contest as last season’s treble winners and are pursuing a fifth consecutive title in the first competition available for silverware in the Premier Soccer League this season. Securing that championship would extend their record.

Kaze acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing his team but said Sekhukhune United were preparing to compete rather than simply contain the defending champions.

“It’s a very big week for us, playing the same team three times, maybe the fans of football get a bonus, three times in one week,” he said in the pre-match press conference.

The first meeting will be the opening leg of the MTN8 semi-final on Saturday. The second leg will take place the following week, while the league encounter will be played away from home on Tuesday.

“We have to manage them well, starting with the first leg, against the defending champions, four times in a row, we know how big the mountain is we need to climb but we are preparing ourselves, we want to compete, starting on Saturday, we need to be at our best show our intentions,” Kaze said.

The Burundian coach stressed that his team must deal with each match separately, beginning with the first semi-final fixture before turning their attention to the next assignment.

“We have to apply our minds, have a clear plan, that’s what will take us through the first game then we start preparing for the second game.”

While the two MTN8 matches will determine which side progresses to the next stage, Kaze believes the league game presents a different kind of challenge. He pointed out that Tuesday’s match is not a knockout tie and forms part of a much longer campaign.

“The game is one half, there’s a second half next week and the league game on Tuesday is once off, it’s not a knockout game, but an away game, the fourth game of the league, and there’s 26 games after that.”

The demanding schedule will test Sekhukhune United’s ability to manage their squad and maintain their early-season momentum against opponents who are seeking further success after winning three trophies last season.

The iDiski Times Digital Newspaper is available free of charge. Readers can download it using the relevant button or complete the form to have it sent to them every week.