Magesi coach John Maduka believes his side can repeat last season’s heroics by upsetting Orlando Pirates in the Carling Knockout quarterfinals.
Magesi were drawn against Pirates immediately after their thrilling 3-2 victory over AmaZulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday.
This upcoming clash will be a repeat of last season’s Round of 16 encounter at Orlando Stadium, where Magesi stunned the Buccaneers with a memorable 3-2 win, scoring all three goals in the first half to silence the Soweto giants on their own turf.
Under Clinton Larsen, Magesi went on to reach the final and defeated Mamelodi Sundowns at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein to lift the trophy.
However, this time around, Magesi are struggling domestically — having won only once in the league this season and sitting second from bottom of the table. They now face a Pirates side in red-hot form.
The Buccaneers have won their last nine matches in all competitions, including a victory over Siwelele FC in the Carling Knockout Round of 16, and clinched the MTN8 title for a record fourth consecutive season — the first major trophy of the campaign.
Speaking after Sunday’s match in Durban, Maduka admitted the challenge ahead is tough but believes in his team’s fighting spirit.
“It’s going to be tough because, eish, I’m coming in at a disadvantage — I wasn’t here when Magesi beat Pirates last time,” said Maduka.
“But these are cup games; anything can happen. We did it last season by going past Orlando Pirates. We know it won’t be easy this time because they remember what happened before. Every opponent is tough, and Pirates are no different.”
Maduka added that the pressure will be on Pirates due to their stature and winning history in South African football.
“Maybe the pressure is on Pirates because everyone expects them to win,” he said.
“They’ve won their last nine games, so the pressure is more on them than on us. That might actually work in our favour — we can play freely.”
Pirates last won this competition in the 2011/12 season, defeating Bidvest Wits in the final. Maduka, who was part of the Bloemfontein Celtic technical team that lifted the trophy in the 2012/13 season against Sundowns, said his players will embrace the underdog tag.
“Like you said, they have won their last nine games or so. So, the pressure is on them. Maybe that is the game we will find it better, easy for us to do well, because the pressure is more on Pirates, not on us,” he concluded.
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