Mandla Masango talks about the upcoming clash against Orlando Pirates!

The two teams are set to face off twice in the Soweto derby, once in the Nedbank Cup final and again in the Betway Premiership and the team is expected to focus on one of those matches.

When will the two teams meet in the derby and the Nedbank final?

The two teams are scheduled to meet in the league derby on 3 May at FNB Stadium and the cup final on 10 May at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

The two teams met in the first round of this season's Betway Premiership where the Buccaneers won 1-0 Phefeni Glamour Boys with Patrick Maswanganyi scoring a goal to finish the game 1-0.

What Mandla Masango had to say about the derby!

Masango expressed his excitement to face Orlando Pirates again, noting that there are no friendlies in the derby against the Buccaneers, saying: No, in the derby, there’s no friendly game, they all matter, So, whoever steps on the field on the day of the [league] derby, he needs to give his all, 100%, Supporters don’t have the luxury of saying, ‘No, we can win this one or lose that one’. They always want to be high there.

They try to encourage players to win at all costs. Sometimes, the results don’t go their way, but both matches are very much important.

Masango recognises the role of coaches in helping young players in these important dates

This is where the coaches and senior guys come in for the youngsters. They must say to them that ‘we’re playing two big games back-to-back, we need to be 100% focused, Such games are won on small margins. You don’t get to have an open game where you’ll see a 5-0 scoreline, So, the coaches must help the players to remain focused and to perform on the day.

Mandla Masango said.

Hazem Mlhem |

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Hazem Mlhem est un rédacteur sportif expérimenté, animé par une passion pour le football africain.