The whole of Europe is in shock with the results from Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League group stage matches. Powerhouses suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of the so-called minnows. Real Madrid and Bayern lost away at Lille and Aston Villa respectively with identical 1-0 scorelines and Atleti was hit for four without reply in Portugal by Benfica. This has set the tone for this year’s revamped UEFA Champions League format. Can this wave of upsets also culminate in Stellenbosch causing an upset against Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 Final at Moses Mabhida in Durban this Saturday?
MTN8 Final Between Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch
The country will be at standstill when Orlando Pirates take on Stellenbosch in the MTN8 final, the first silverware for the season up for grabs. Whilst Orlando Pirates are odds-on favorites to win, it is not as straightforward as it may seem on paper. Stellenbosch is enjoying a rich vain of form having eliminated the mighty Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-finals to book a place in the final and also went on to knockout AS Vita in the CAF Confederation Cup to book a place in the group stages of the tournament. They are proving to be a force to be reckoned with when it comes to cup games as they are set to build on their maiden cup win when they won the Carling Black Label Knockout last season. On the other hand Orlando Pirates are breathing fire having also qualified for the CAF Champions League group stages brushing aside Jwaneng Galaxy and starting the league campaign with 3 wins on the trot. This promises to be a great final even for the neutrals.
Players to Watch
Orlando Pirates have a squad full of international players such as Ndah from Nigeria, Chaine, Mbatha, Mofokeng, Maswanganyi, Sibisi, Makgopa all Bafana internationals, and the likes of Deon Hotto from Namibia and Gilberto the Angolan international. Their experience in matches of this magnitude can come in handy. Stellenbosch lost Iqraam Rayners to Sundowns but managed to keep its other key players in the transfer window such as Jayden Adams despite the interest from Mamelodi Sundowns and managed to add Ashley Cupido and Lehlohonolo Mojela to beef up their forward line. This has brought stability and continuity from their impressive performance in the 2023/24 season where they finished third and won the Carling Black Label Knockout. It will be interesting to see the battle between red-hot Saleng going against Bafana Bafana defender Basadien, considering his agony at missing out on selection for the upcoming AFCON qualifiers he would like to prove Hugo Broos wrong. Whereas for Stellenbosch Lehlohonolo Mojela will be looking to cause problems to the Orlando Pirates backline.
Coach Tactics
Jose Riveiro is having selection headaches as he has strikers scoring for fun in Mabasa and Makgopa, it will be interesting to see who he will trust to start on Saturday considering that Mabasa has been starting all matches ahead of Makgopa. Riveiro has been implementing effective wing play, with quick forwards in Mofokeng and Saleng giving the opposition a torrid time. Orlando Pirates have also been playing with fast breaks from overlapping runs from Hotto to outnumber the opposition backline. Clive Barker led Stellenbosch on the other hand defends on a low block with players such as Basadien, Toure and Mcaba who do basics right and attack in quick transitional play, turning over defense into attack in a matter of seconds. Their offensive line led by Mojela, De Jong, Titus and Adams are quick in transition that they capitalize on the loss of shape of the opposition when they lose possession in attack, Mamelodi Sundowns were punished in both legs of the semi-finals. Considering that Orlando Pirates like attacking with overlapping wingbacks like Hotto, Stellenbosch will be looking to capitalize on this.
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