Pirates defender Tapelo Xoki describes Sundowns tie as ‘game of their lives’
Orlando Pirates defender Tapelo Xoki has described their encounter against Mamelodi Sundowns in the DStv Premiership on Saturday 4 February as a ‘game of their lives’.
Pirates are finally gelling under the guidance of Spanish tactician Jose Riveiro. In their last three matches, the Soweto giants have been coming out on top, scoring nine and conceding just two goals.
The good form saw Pirates jump up to fourth place on the log standings. However they are 24 points behind leaders, Sundowns.
TAPELO XOKI ON FACING SUNDOWNS
“It’s a game that means everything to us, it’s a game of our lives but it’s just a game on Saturday. We don’t look ahead, we need to apply ourselves and energy on that game,” Xoki told the media.
“We’re a team that is working progress, we have to try and keep the momentum that we’ve built so far.
“We got the team that can beat Sundowns, we’ve shown it before, we have to apply ourselves correctly, do the right thing and follow what we have been doing at training.”
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS STRONG POINTS
Xoki further stated scoring and defending as Sundowns’ strong points that they are well aware of as a team.
“They’ve got the most goals in the league, they’ve conceded least goals in the league.
“They are a balanced team, they don’t have many weaknesses but they are a team like any other team. We need to make sure we nullify their traits and expose their weaknesses,” he added.
WHY PIRATES ARE NOT PLOTTING REVENGE
In the reverse fixture, Sundowns defeated Pirates 2-0 in December 2022. Heading into the encounter, Xoki stated that Pirates are not gunning for revenge as they only focus on themselves.
“We can’t play that game [revenge game], we on the good form now we want to try and continue. We can’t go back and look at what happened in the past,” he concluded.
Kickoff at Orlando Stadium is at 3:30pm.
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