Johannesburg – For a club to be bottom of the league at the end of this month and top of the tree by the following May would ordinarily be as likely as all the robots in Joburg working simultaneously in rain-filled summertime.
Yet this has been no ordinary season for Orlando Pirates, who will aim to continue to make up ground on the rest when they take on Bloemfontein Celtic in Orlando this evening.
That Pirates sit at the foot of the Absa Premiership table is as misleading a statistic as any, a quick glance at the log showing that Roger de Sa’s men have between five and eight games in hand on all of those above them.
Pirates’ African adventure, going all the way to the final of the CAF Champions League, has simply caused a monstrous delay in their league programme, with the Buccaneers tonight taking to the field for only the fifth time this season in a Premiership game.
With Africa now out of the picture, a midweek victory at Maritzburg United, courtesy of Collins Mbesuma’s strike, began Pirates’ inevitable climb up the log. Now they must somehow cram in the rest of their games before the campaign is out, but as coach De Sa has said, this is a side well used to playing three times a week. Pirates should still have the squad to mount a title challenge, with their African experience only an added bonus.
After all, even the heat of continental competition could not stop De Sa’s side reaching both the MTN8 and Telkom Knockout finals.
The Buccaneers have to be favourites to beat Ernst Middendorp’s side this evening in their first home league game since they beat Polokwane City 1-0 on September 18.
Phunya Sele Sele are three points above Pirates but have played six games more. The season has been a struggle thus far for Celtic, who have won just once in all competitions and have already lost a coach in Clinton Larsen.
Middendorp has come in and got Celtic on level ground, in the very literal sense of the word, with four successive league draws since taking up the reins. But unless Celtic can start churning out some wins soon, a relegation battle seems extremely likely, and that would be a disappointing result for a side that finished in the top eight last season.
Celtic’s problems start in their defence – they have kept just one clean sheet all season – and tonight they could well come up against their old teammate in Pirates striker and top scorer this season, Lennox Bacela.
With Bacela, Mbesuma and Kermit Erasmus, Pirates certainly look to have enough artillery to cause Celtic problems and it remains to be seen if Middendorp’s side can do the same at the other end.
On the plus side for Celtic, Pirates will be missing right- back Happy Jele through suspension.
Striker Lerato Manzini is also showing signs of finding form under Middendorp, with a couple of goals in his last four games.
In another game today, Kaizer Chiefs will look to build on an excellent 4-1 victory over Polokwane City in midweek with a tricky trip south to take on Free State Stars.
Chiefs are missing Josta Dladla and Morgan Gould through suspension, the latter pleading guilty this week to punching Bidvest Wits’ Getaneh Kebede and the former sent off against City.
Fixtures(3.30pm unless stated)
Saturday: University of Pretoria v AmaZulu (Tuks Stadium); Free State Stars v Kaizer Chiefs (Charles Mopeli Stadium); Golden Arrows v Platinum Stars (King Zwelithini Stadium, 6pm); Orlando Pirates v Bloemfontein Celtic (Orlando Stadium, 8.15pm)
Sunday: Mamelodi Sundowns v Moroka Swallows (Loftus Stadium)
Saturday Star