Johannesburg – Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer is bracing himself for a “special DStv Premiership tie” in the firs round of 2020-21 season as his side line up against top-of-the-table defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Stadium on Saturday.
The Premiership returns from its Christmas break with a cracking match-up between two of the favourites for the title, and a fixture that has been known to produce fireworks.
Sundowns have won the championship in the past three seasons and some of those six league clashes in those campaigns between these two giants of SA football were exhilarating and close. Pirates have won two, Sundowns just one, while the other three, including the last one in the bio-bubble towards the end of last season, ended in goalless draws.
While Zinnbauer is yet to taste a loss against Sundowns after masterminding the 1-0 win in the first round of last season in January, he accepted that the Brazilians have had a better start (five wins and three draws versus fifth-placed Bucs’ three wins and four draws) this season.
“We know Sundowns possibly have some of the best players in their squad‚” the German coach, who ended Bucs’ six-year trophy drought by winning the MTN8 this month.
“They have a big‚ big squad and we know it. And we also have a good squad and it’s a special game for us.
“Sundowns are on top and we are behind and‚ ja‚ we have a chance to come closer to Sundowns and come closer to the top of the table. This is important to us but we must have a good game first and a good performance.
“If we have a good performance we’ll have possibilities of winning the game.”
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