Bucs, Downs face off

Benni McCarthy said Orlando Pirates want to continue tonight from where they left off on Saturday.

The two-goal derby hero in Saturday's 3-2 win over Kaizer Chiefs at Soccer City has welcomed another big game so soon after the last one.

"It is good we are playing against big clubs, and better so that we can get them out of the way," McCarthy said.

Pirates head for Pretoria tonight on a mission to cut Mamelodi Sundowns' lead in the Absa Premiership to just one point. Sundowns lead the league on 40 points after their 3-0 annihilation of Ajax Cape Town at Newlands on Saturday, while Pirates jumped to second place on 36 points with Saturday's derby triumph.

So tonight's match at Loftus has all the hallmarks of a top-of-the-log clash.

McCarthy is confident Pirates will pull off another vital win in their quest to defend their league title.

"We just need to take along our scoring boots to Pretoria. People always remember the player or players who scored in big matches and I also want to score again in a big match," he said.

"But I must say that, for me, the most important thing is to contribute to the success of Pirates in all the games we play.

"We're going all out for a win to reduce the gap between us and Sundowns. This is a very crucial match for us," said McCarthy, who has scored seven times in the league so far.

Sundowns' joint assistant coach Alex Bapela agreed with McCarthy that Pirates represent a threat. But the Sundowns man is brimming with confidence and believes they will beat Pirates.

"Pirates are playing well, besides their 3-0 defeat by Santos," said Bapela, who was quick to remind everyone that just a few days before the derby, the Buccaneers had succumbed at Athlone Stadium.

"I think their minds were on the derby when they played Santos," he said with a ready-made excuse for that rout.

"If there is a club posing a threat for us to win the league, it should be Pirates. Pirates have a great team with Benni doing so well."

Apart from McCarthy, another player who should pose a threat to Sundowns is speedy winger Tlou Segolela, who seems to have regained his old form.

Downs' Teko Modise and Lebogang Mokoena are also doing well and should orchestrate their former club's downfall.