Pirates seeking to emulate Chiefs

Orlando Pirates return to the Mbombela Stadium, the scene where they completed their historic treble last season after victory over Black Leopards in the Nedbank Cup final, tonight.

And though they are without the guiding hand of former coach Ruud Krol, who was instrumental in leading them to victory on that glorious day, the Buccaneers are confident that they can continue where they left off with new man in charge, Brazilian Julio Leal.

The defending league champions take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Vodacom Challenge (kick off, 8.15pm), eager to follow in the foot steps of Kaizer Chiefs, who beat the London club 1-0 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.

Bucs will also have revenge in mind after Spurs beat them twice in the 2007 edition of the tournament, losing to Tottenham 2-1 in their first encounter and then were hammered 3-0 in the subsequent final.

Leal named a 34-man squad for this tournament – including new signings Siyabonga Sangweni, Sameehg Doutie, Njabulo Ntusi, Rudolf Bester and Lizo Mjempu – who could all get a run tonight.

And after having seen Spurs play against Amakhosi over the weekend, Sangweni – who was signed from Golden Arrows at the start of this month – is adamant that he will get his Pirates career off to a winning start against the Londoners.

“I am happy that I have the chance to play against Tottenham,” Sangweni said. “They are a good club and playing against them will help us in our preparations for the new season. One thing I can promise our supporters is that we are going to win tonight. We have been working hard and we are confident.

“We know that after losing to Chiefs, they will want to up their game and win against us. But we watched them on television when they were playing against Chiefs and we know what to expect.

“It will be a tough, but good game for both sides,” the Bafana Bafana central defender revealed.

One Pirates player, in particular, that will be looking to use the Vodacom Challenge to get a regular spot in the starting line-up is Mark Mayambela. After having made all of his appearances as a substitute last season, the unpredictable midfielder is hoping that he can play a key role – not only tonight – but also in the coming season.

And though Pirates are still hard at work getting their fitness back on track while trying to find the right combinations with all the new signings as well as those returning from injury. Mayambela believes that whoever is out on the field for the Bucs will get the better of Spurs.

“It is so exciting that I will finally get to play in a Vodacom Challenge. To make things even better is that we are going to be playing against one of the world’s great teams with great players. We are happy that Chiefs beat them and we also want to do the same.

“We are preparing for the new season and we all know how important this game is for us. Even though we want to win, we are not going to put ourselves under pressure. I am happy to be part of the team that’s here and I hope I can do well.”

This is the first time Mayambela, who joined Pirates at the start of last season, will be playing in the pre-season tournament.

Spurs, though, are looking to bounce back after their defeat to Amakhosi and Bucs should be wary of players such as Rafael van der Vaart, Gareth Bale, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon – players who have the ability to create something out of nothing.

The Buccaneers will be wearing the number 93 on their jerseys for the match in respect for Nelson Mandela, the former South African president, who celebrated his birthday yesterday. - The Star