Image: Lee Warren/Gallo Images
There is a lot riding on the potentially explosive Betway Premiership encounter between Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates at a sold-out Loftus on Saturday afternoon.
The Brazilians host rivals Buccaneers in one of the hugely anticipated matches of the season where bragging rights and a vital three points will be on the line in the capital.
The Brazilians go into this top-of-the-table clash sitting on top of the log standings where they enjoy a six-point lead, but they have played one more match than Pirates who will be looking to close the gap.
In their two recent league matches, Sundowns beat Golden Arrows and SuperSport United and scored seven goals while Pirates hit the back of the net three times against Kaizer Chiefs and Sekhukhune United.
In their wins over Arrows and United, Lucas Ribeiro was influential in the creative department and coach Miguel Cardoso will again pin his hopes on him and the likes of Teboho Mokoena, Marcello Allende, and Iqraam Rayners for a positive result.
When they met in the first round of last season at Orlando Stadium, it was Ribeiro’s early penalty that secured the 1-0 win on enemy territory and he says that is in the past.
“What happened last season with the penalty belongs to the past, we are in a new season and I am enjoying what this campaign is bringing. The penalty against Pirates last season is not in my mind any more,” said the Brazilian who adding that he enjoys playing in front of full stadiums.
“Whenever we play against Pirates and Chiefs, the stadium is always full and I like to play in those games because I am a type of player that likes to perform in front of such audiences. I am excited for the upcoming game.”
Before the wins over Arrows and SuperSport, Ribeiro struggled with consistency and he said it was because of too many matches.
“With the schedule that we have, it is difficult to maintain the same performance at the highest level but the ultimate goal is to play there. We play games every three games and with the travelling sometimes there will be that drop in terms of performance and output of the game.
“But it doesn’t mean one does not desire to achieve more, we are expected to play about 60 games a season and I have never been exposed to that.”
Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi said they are travelling to Loftus for three points.
“It’s unique preparation where you hardly touch the field, but it is important for us to prepare the right way. It is one of the games where the prize is still three points and we will use the analysis of what we do and what we want to do.
“We are preparing, the game plan is going to be the same and we just want to perform. Over the past three encounters, we overcame the opponents but we cannot use that.
We just have to play the match tomorrow so that we get three points, which is all we are looking for.”