Bucs feel the heat

Orlando Pirates face an arduous four weeks before the Absa Premiership closes for Christmas.

The Buccaneers are feeling the heat not only because they are league, MTN8 and Nedbank Cup champions, but because their next five games are difficult encounters.

Their current form has also got them to eighth position on the table with 19 of the 30 games still to be played.

Pirates' opponents during the course of the next month - Ajax Cape Town (tonight), Supersport United, Wits, Bloem Celtic and Golden Arrows - are ready to stick the knife in.

The match against the Clever Boys is in the Telkom Knockout final at the Moses Mabhida stadium on December 10. The rest of their games are league encounters.

The first of what are bound to be rigorous tests, to determine whether they stand a good chance at defending their league title, is against Ajax tonight.

The clash at Orlando stadium is especially intriguing given how last season's fixtures turned out.

The Buccaneers were 3-0 winners at home, but lost by the same margin in the return match earlier this year.

That victory by Ajax set up a nail-biting end to the season, the Cape Town side missing out on the Premier League title on goal difference.

Pirates have already been beaten four times this season - the same number they lost last season on the way to the league title.

"We are in the same boat as well," said Ajax coach Maarten Stekelenburg, whose team is one place behind Pirates on the log.

"We want to start looking up before reaching the halfway mark this season.

"They [Pirates] are struggling in the league and they are not where they want to be. But we want to pick up points there and make sure that we are in the top six by the halfway mark."

The Buccaneers haven't been beaten at home this season, picking up two wins from five league matches.

But coach Julio Leal still isn't impressed.

"I have not been happy with the team conceding first, especially at home," Leal said on the club website.

"We have been working on numerous aspects of our game to try and improve on our shortcomings. Ajax are a very good side.

"It will be good for us to play Ajax because it will require us to be at our very best. We will need to go all out and try to impose ourselves."

Another team facing a tough couple of weeks is Supersport United - the only unbeaten side in the Premier League after 11 matches.

The Pretoria club is currently leading the pack on the log and they take on second-placed Kaizer Chiefs at the Peter Mokaba stadium tonight.

They then travel to Orlando stadium on Saturday and will host rival Mamelodi Sundowns before their last game of the year against Celtic.