Former Orlando Pirates captain Happy Jele is confident the Soweto giants will emerge victorious when they meet Chippa United in the Nedbank Cup semifinals.
So confident was he in his prediction, the one-time centreback and right-back, a 14-year servant of the Buccaneers in a senior playing career spanning 15 years from 2006 to 2022, predicted the Buccaneers would win Saturday's clash at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (3pm) 2-0.
Pirates have been in form and have won five league and cup matches in succession, scoring 18 goals and conceding three, including Wednesday's 2-0 DStv Premiership win away against Cape Town City. To reach the Nedbank semis, the Sea-Robbers beat AmaZulu 4-2 in their quarterfinal clash. They face a tricky Chippa in the semis, co-coaches Thabo September and Kwanele Kopo's Eastern Cape side having seen off ABC Motsepe League teams NC Pros and Ravens, then fellow DStv Premiership competitors TS Galaxy (2-0) in the previous three rounds.
Jele, 37, said Pirates' red-hot scoring form shows they are primed to defend their Nedbank trophy.
“Pirates will win on Saturday because with the form they have they don’t want to lose it; they’ll want to maintain it [their form] until the end of the season,” Jele said.
“They will win 2-0 against Chippa. Pirates have been working hard and their performance has been consistent, they have found their feet in the league now. As you can see from the games they have played recently, they have played well and they managed to score many goals.
“So their confidence is back, I am happy to see them consistently getting a win. They are the defending champions, this is their trophy so they need to protect it by going to the finals.
“Their performance shows they are ready to do that and they are good in cups — they managed to get one trophy this season so they are capable of getting another one.”
While Pirates have battled for consistency in Jose Riveiro's two seasons at the club in the DStv Premiership — they still managed second place last season and are challenging for that position in 2023-2024 again — the Spaniard has had far more success in the cups. Bucs have three of the past four domestic cup trophies, including last season's Nedbank Cup. They have already successfully defended the MTN8 this season, beating Mamelodi Sundowns on penalties in the final in October.
“This is their time to defend the Nedbank Cup, they are doing well in the league and cup matches. So the form is back and they are ready,” Jele said.
He cautioned his old side that the Chilli Boys are no walkover.
“Chippa have been doing well in their recent games, they have been getting results, winning against all odds against the likes of Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United. So we can’t take them for granted; their coaches are doing well to maintain getting results.
“It’s not going to be an easy game for Orlando Pirates but with Pirates' performance at the moment they should do well. Pirates will need to lift their game to get the results so they defend the trophy.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.