Pirates to get second spot fight back on track against struggling Baroka
The Buccaneers are on fifth spot on the log with 38 points, five points behind Royal AM, who are second.
Orlando Pirates will take on Tanzanian giants Simba SC in the quarterfinals of the Caf Confederations Cup. Picture: Jafaar Ladjal/BackpagePix
A second place finish in the DStv Premiership is not guaranteed for Orlando Pirates and every single remaining fixture for them will be a hurdle to jump starting with a struggling Baroka FC at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Tuesday.
Pirates are on a mission to finish the league in second spot in order for the club to qualify for the Caf Champions League.
But, the club is in fifth place on the log with 38 points, five points behind Royal AM, who are currently in second place.
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And now, with six games remaining for the Soweto giants, they will need to make sure every single of their last matches is a perfect jump, with the hope of seeing teams above them dropping points.
Bucs will head into the Baroka clash with their spirits held high following their hard fought 1-0 win over Sekhukhune United in their previous game.
They go up against a Bakgaga side, who are rooted at the bottom of the league table and they are fighting for survival in the top tier.
With the same number of games played as the Pirates winning only four games, five draws and 15 loses, Baroka have only collected 17 points.
Baroka last won a league match last month, when they beat TS Galaxy 1-0, with their two last fixtures seeing them being thrashed 5-1 by Cape Town City and losing 1-0 to AmaZulu FC.
Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi will be eager to see continuity in the likes of Siphelele Ndlovu, who has not featured much for the club, but pulled out a great performance during the Sekhukhune tie.
The Soweto giants are expected to make some changes at the back with centre-back Olisa Ndah returning to the team.
The Nigerian has been a consistent performer for Bucs, but has missed two of their last games after falling sick in their Caf Confederation Cup fixture with Al-Ittihad and a league game against Sekhukhune due to suspension.
Meanwhile, Baroka will welcome back Tshepo Mokhabi after the midfielder served suspension in their last game.
The sides played to a goalless draw in their last meeting, but going into this match, there is so much to play for and three points will be vital for either team.
