Orlando Pirates v Mamelodi Sundowns: Players To Watch

Orlando Pirates hosts Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday afternoon at Orlando Stadium in the Dstv Premiership. This fixture has proven to be one of the best encounters in South African football, with both teams playing beautiful football and fans always coming in numbers to support their respective teams.

In their last three head-to-heads, two of them being the MTN 8 semi-finals, they played a fascinating 0-0 draw. Subsequently, Pirates reached the finals after winning the second leg 3-0. In their recent encounter in the DSTV Premiership, just after the World Cup break, Sundowns were the victors beating The Sea Robbers 2-0.

Let’s look at the players that can make a difference for their teams in this encounter.

1: Neo Maema – Mamelodi Sundowns

Maema has been outstanding for Mamelodi Sundowns this season, he’s already played 20 matches this season including the cup games, scoring five goals along the way. He has been in the starting line-up in more than 90% of his appearances for The Brazilians this season, which is a testament to his quality and potential.

The former Celtics attacking midfielder is the man for big occasions, he scored a cracker of a goal against Kaizer Chiefs in their recent 1-0 win.

2: Ndabayithethwa Phillip Ndlondlo – Orlando Pirates

Ndlondlo is one of the best creative midfielders in the Dstv Premiership, he has made a difference in Orlando Pirates’ attacking unit. He came as a substitute in his first appearance of 2023 in their 3-0 win over Golden Arrows at home and then went on to score in both the following fixtures against Stellenbosch and his former team Marumo Gallants.
Orlando Pirates have won every match that he’s played this year.

3: Peter Shalulile – Mamelodi Sundowns

The Namibian is nothing short of an inspiration to South African football, and he’s got all the accolades to prove that. He made an instant impact on his return, scoring three goals in five games and retaining his position on the top-scoring charts.
His hunger for goals and speed give defenders in the DSTV Premiership endless headaches.

4: Monnapule Salang – Orlando Pirates

Saleng has blossomed into a superstar and a fan favourite for Orlando Pirates. After starting the season pretty averagely, his fate turned around when he played a sterling performance against Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN 8 and has not looked back ever since then.

The fast attacking midfield was instrumental in winning the MTN 8 title, having scored in all three matches he played in. He’s only played 10 matches in the DSTV Premiership, with four goals and three assists thus far.