High-flying Moroka Swallows are aiming at a unique ”Soweto double” when they meet struggling Orlando Pirates in an Absa Premiership showdown at Ellis Park on Wednesday night. Kick-off is at 7.30pm.
The new-look Birds defeated Kaizer Chiefs 2-0 at Olympia Park in Rustenburg in their last league outing and are keen to do the same to Pirates.
It would be the first time in many years that Swallows would have beaten their more glamorous Soweto rivals back-to-back in successive Soweto derbies.
Swallows have lost just one league match in four — a 4-2 hammering at home to Ajax Cape Town last month, which acted as a wake-up call for the Birds.
Since then Brazilian coach Julio Cesar Leal has rallied his players and they have gone from strength to strength.
Swallows inflicted a 2-0 defeat on BidVest Wits in the first round of the Telkom Knockout on Sunday at Olympia Park to become the first club to beat the Students this season.
”I cannot remember when Swallows ever beat both Chiefs and Pirates in a season,” said Birds assistant coach Zeca Marques. ”But this season there is a new Birds side that are determined to regain that pride the club has lost in Soweto over the years. We believe we can do this double and beat Pirates on Wednesday and get our pride back.
”We are more focused and determined this season. We know Pirates are vulnerable at present, but at the same time we also realise how dangerous they can be, especially as they have not won a league game and will be determined to try to rectify that when they play us. We expect them to come out guns blazing against us.”
Marques stressed that the Birds are not underestimating Pirates or getting carried away after reaching the quarterfinals of the Telkom Knockout. ”The Wits game is history and now our only focus is beating Pirates,” he said.
The Buccaneers won their first match of the season in all competitions when they also won through to the quarterfinals of the Telkom Knockout by beating hard-running Thanda Royal Zulu 1-0 at KwaMashu’s Princess Magogo Stadium, also on Sunday.
Bucs have only two draws to show from their four Premiership matches this season. They have only scored one goal in their four matches — in their 1-1 draw at Ellis Park against Santos.
But coach Ruud Krol was full of smiles after beating Thanda. He said: ”We still missed chances, especially in the first half that we should have scored, but the win over Thanda will have boosted our confidence. I know that Swallows are a tough side and this is a competitive league where even so-called smaller teams are capable of beating the bigger ones. I am preparing for another difficult match.”
Leal has brought a new self belief to the Birds, who for decades have lived in the shadow of their bigger Soweto ”cousins”.
Although Krol is happy to get his first win under his belt, Pirates still failed to convince, especially in defence and in front of goal.
The Birds are on a high with David Radebe, the former Chiefs and Wits striker, enjoying a new lease of life alongside newcomer Ace Bhengu, with midfielders Lefa Tsutsulupa and Mark Haskins playing big roles in the Swallows set-up.
Said Marques: ”Pirates have to come good at some stage and we hope they do not start their revival against us. We are gunning for two things this season. We aim to get to the Knockout final and finish at least fourth in the league. But our immediate goal is three points from \Pirates.”
The PSL has lined up a full eight-match programme on Wednesday. Wits meet big spending Mamelodi Sundowns at Olympia Park (7.30pm). Downs were the victims of a major upset in the Knockout when they were beaten 1-0 by PSL rookies Bay United at their so called ”slaughterhouse” at the Super Stadium at the weekend.
Roger de Sa’s Students are still unbeaten in the league, while things are getting hot for Brazilians’ under-fire coach Trott Moloto, who cannot afford another defeat.
Chiefs, who have only one win from their four matches, face a tricky away trip to the Seisa Ramabodu Stadium where they meet Bloemfontein Celtic (3.30pm), who are looking for their first league win of the season after they reached the quarterfinal of the Knockout at the expense of Santos.
Defending Absa Premiership champions SuperSport United play Maritzburg United at the Super Stadium. Maritzburg suffered their first defeat in all competitions when they crashed 2-0 away to Free State Stars in the Knockout at the weekend. — Sapa