Pirates a big institution - Thalente Mbatha ahead of MTN8 final

10.10.26 12:00 MTN 8 Cup South Africa

Orlando Pirates

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Mamelodi Sundowns FC

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Orlando Pirates midfielder Thalente Mbatha says the club is a big institution ahead of their humdinger MTN8 final against Mamelodi Sundowns at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.

The Buccaneers will be gunning for a record-extending fifth consecutive MTN8 crown, while the Brazilians will be in a desperate quest for a first domestic cup title since the 2021/22 season.

Pirates beat Sundowns in the semi-final stage of the competition last term - this after piping them to the trophy in the 2023/24 campaign, establishing themselves as the modern day cup kings in South Africa.

With the highly-anticipated clash on the horizon, Mbatha acknowledges that donning the famous black and white jersey of Pirates comes with a lot of pressure.

“We are Orlando Pirates, we are a big institution so there's always pressure when you play these type of games. And we don't tend to focus on the opponents too much because as I said, we are a big institution,” he said.

"So, playing for Orlando Pirates is pressure on its own. For us it's to continue working hard and continue preparing for the final.

Having recently returned from an injury layoff, the Bafana international gave credit to the medical department for helping him regain full fitness, stating the journey to recovery is a continuous process.

“It's a difficult situation and it's a difficult journey but I believe that the support that I got from the medical team really helped me. And it's something that's really continuing because it's a day-to-day thing,” Mbatha added.

"You have to continue strengthening, you have to continue training, so I believe that by pushing hard you'll be able to come back.

On his readiness for the titanic encounter with Sundowns, Mbatha believes he has accumulated adequate match sharpness, thanks to the friendly matches at their training base at Rand Stadium.

“We get preparation matches here, I believe that the coaches know what they are doing as well as the medical team. So, by having these preparation matches I believe that's where you gain match fitness,” the Bucs midfielder continued.

"And that's also where you get the confidence of coming back because coming back from an injury is something that's not really easy and you sometimes fear to put in the leg because it's difficult and it deals with you mentally.

"So, I believe that the preparation games help us a lot in getting that match fitness.

Whether Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou will tap into the services of the 26-year-old former SuperSport United dynamo remains to be seen, with his last appearance dating back to August in the MTN8 quarterfinal.

Hlayisani Magoro

Editorfr, en

Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

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