Chippa United will be looking to complete a double over Orlando Pirates when the two sides clash in the DStv Premiership on Saturday.
On 14 August 2022, Pirates were left to rue their missed chances when they lost 1-0 to the Chilli Boys.
The Buccaneers had dominated the encounter, albeit struggling to hit the back of the net.
Tanzanian defender Abdi Banda rose to nod home a header to give his side maximum points at the Orlando Stadium. It was Chippa’s first away win over Pirates since 2013.
This time, Chippa Mpengesi’s boys will not even be worrying over their opponents’ form when they welcome them at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday (5.30pm).
All they will be thinking of is doing a double over one of the country’s biggest clubs.
Of course, this time, they meet a Pirates side that has won their last four matches across all competitions and is eager to finish second.
Pirates, SuperSport United and their neighbours Kaizer Chiefs are all vying for a second-place finish which guarantees them a place in the CAF Champions League.
Optimistic Thabiso Lebitso
Nonetheless, Chippa midfielder Thabiso Lebitso is optimistic that they will upset the applecart.
“I believe it is possible because football is unpredictable. We won against them and we still have the belief that we can beat them again,” Lebitso was quoted by Sowetan.
He believes if they apply themselves well and do the right things on the day, they can win the game.
“Our character needs to be strong, Pirates are doing well. There’s no doubt about that. What we can do is our mentality has to be on par because we play a good team.
“I won’t dwell too much on what Pirates are doing. Obviously, they have their own objectives they want to achieve.
“They will be a bit difficult because they are looking to finish in that second spot, so it will be a tough match, but we are looking forward to the game.”
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Chippa are back under the tutelage of Kurt Lentjies, who replaced Morgan Mammila in February. Under Lentjies, Chippa have only lost once to AmaZulu and drawn twice while winning once.
In their last fixture, they played a 1-1 draw against SuperSport United, which virtually handed Mamelodi Sundowns the title with seven games left.