‘Focused’ Pirates look to finish job against AmaZulu in MTN8 final
Pirates and AmaZulu will battle it out at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
Orlando Pirates captain Innocent Maela hopes to be declared fit to play in the MTN8 final against AmaZulu FC on Saturday. (Picture: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
Orlando Pirates captain Innocent Maela says the MTN8 final against AmaZulu presents them with a great opportunity to lift their first trophy this season.
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Maela was speaking ahead of Saturday’s Wafa Wafa final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
“We have an opportunity to play the final, an opportunity to lift the trophy. The coach said it is a very emotional week, but the most important thing for us as players is to focus on the training session,” said the Bucs skipper.
“The next task is planning for the match which is important. We have to make sure that we are fully in during our training sessions to make sure that we are prepared for the match.”
Maela had an injury problem in Pirates’ previous game against Kaizer Chiefs and had to leave the field early. But, the defender says he is feeling good at the moment and is just waiting on the team’s medical team to confirm his readiness for the Usuthu clash.
“People saw that I couldn’t finish the match because of the injury that I had. But we are still busy with the team doctors and the physios. But it’s still early to tell, I feel good and confident. We will see as the week goes by, nothing is confirmed yet.”
With the Bucs skipper in the race against time to be fully fit for the final, Thembinkosi Lorch, who has been out of action for some time due to an injury, is set to miss the final.
But the good news for Pirates is that winger Vincent Pule is back at training and is available for Saturday’s game.
