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Orlando Pirates not favourites against Kaizer Chiefs in Soweto derby - Thalente Mbatha

Dennis Kegengo

Photo Courtesy Orlando Pirates Media.


Orlando Pirates midfielder Thalente Mbatha has dismissed claims they will head into the Soweto derby against Kaizer Chiefs as the favourites.


The two South African giants will face off in a Betway Premiership fixture at FNB Stadium on Saturday. According to Mbatha, Pirates will go into the fixture with the aim to win it because their desire is to lift the title at the end of the season.


“I don’t believe we are favourites,” said Mbatha as quoted by Business Day. “People always say the team they support are the favourites but that is not on our minds. It is not a secret we are challenging for the league and we want to win, but we are not favourites.”


“You can see the tension and the mood, and it is going to be a tough game for us. It is a crucial game because we are challenging to be at the top of the log standings. When it comes to a game like the derby, you need to focus because you will not even hear your teammates giving you information on the field. It is a game where we have to work as a team.”


He continued: “There are going to be mistakes because it is a game of football. We have to be united as a team and fight for each other.Most of the time we focus on our own business as Pirates. We tend to follow our own culture of football where the coach tells us how to play.


“Coming to the midfield battle, it is something the coach prepares us for as a team to play in a certain way. We have to believe in our teammates and one another. We are a team that has quality. We are still learning and you can see there are many players born after 2000 — I am one of them. With the quality we have, on a good day we are a good team.”

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