Orlando Pirates captain Innocent Maela has asserted that the brand of football they've displayed in the Nedbank Cup this season has been easy on the eye compared to when they won the same tournament last term.
Pirates will attempt to retain their Nedbank Cup when they face league champions Mamelodi Sundowns in the competition's final at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday. Last season, Pirates played against three lower division sides in All Stars, Venda (both from the second-tier) and Dondol (third-tier) en route to finally meeting a Premiership side, Kaizer Chiefs, in the semifinals before they beat Sekhukhune in the final.
Pirates' road to the Nedbank Cup final this season was almost the same as last season, facing two teams from lower league in Crystal Lake (fourth-tier) and Hungry Lions (second-tier) in the last 32 and last 16 respectively, before they faced AmaZulu and Chippa United in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
I think this season, because of the amount of goals we've been scoring [they've scored 17 in the Nedbank Cup], we've been more fun to watch...you can also tell with the capacity in the stadiums, it's always packed when we play. The team has shown that competitive edge this season, playing in this campaign and hopefully we will win the final,'' Maela said at a media conference at Orlando Stadium on Tuesday.
The Sea Robbers skipper also suggested that playing Sundowns doesn't make this Ke Yona decider any bigger, admitting a need to respect the Tshwane giants, who recently clinched their seventh league title in a row. Maela insisted they will play the game, not the event.
"When we play a cup final, that game is already big regardless of the opponent, but playing against the league champions means the hype is a little bit big because the fans from both sides will always talk about the match. Our focus and dedication is always the same,'' Maela said.
"We will go there and focus on our plan by playing the game, not the occasion. The cup finals are always big regardless of the opponents.''
Maela positive his side will defend cup
Pirates have mountain to climb against league champs
Image: Dirk Kotze
Orlando Pirates captain Innocent Maela has asserted that the brand of football they've displayed in the Nedbank Cup this season has been easy on the eye compared to when they won the same tournament last term.
Pirates will attempt to retain their Nedbank Cup when they face league champions Mamelodi Sundowns in the competition's final at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday. Last season, Pirates played against three lower division sides in All Stars, Venda (both from the second-tier) and Dondol (third-tier) en route to finally meeting a Premiership side, Kaizer Chiefs, in the semifinals before they beat Sekhukhune in the final.
Pirates' road to the Nedbank Cup final this season was almost the same as last season, facing two teams from lower league in Crystal Lake (fourth-tier) and Hungry Lions (second-tier) in the last 32 and last 16 respectively, before they faced AmaZulu and Chippa United in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
I think this season, because of the amount of goals we've been scoring [they've scored 17 in the Nedbank Cup], we've been more fun to watch...you can also tell with the capacity in the stadiums, it's always packed when we play. The team has shown that competitive edge this season, playing in this campaign and hopefully we will win the final,'' Maela said at a media conference at Orlando Stadium on Tuesday.
The Sea Robbers skipper also suggested that playing Sundowns doesn't make this Ke Yona decider any bigger, admitting a need to respect the Tshwane giants, who recently clinched their seventh league title in a row. Maela insisted they will play the game, not the event.
"When we play a cup final, that game is already big regardless of the opponent, but playing against the league champions means the hype is a little bit big because the fans from both sides will always talk about the match. Our focus and dedication is always the same,'' Maela said.
"We will go there and focus on our plan by playing the game, not the occasion. The cup finals are always big regardless of the opponents.''
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