Betway Premiership Preview: AmaZulu

Orlando Pirates press on into the closing phase of the Betway Premiership season with a clash against AmaZulu taking place at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday.

It’s a welcome return home for the Buccaneers, who are back from a testing assignment on the coast and now face their third opponent from KwaZulu-Natal in as many fixtures. On their sights this time around is an in-form Usuthu outfit eyeing a big scalp in what has so far been one of their most productive campaigns in the PSL era.

Only half a dozen fixtures remain for both sides in the 2025/26 season, and each of the two teams will take to the storied arena with only three points in mind.

The Opposition

A return to continental football is within reach for AmaZulu as they visit Pirates while sitting in fourth place in the Premiership standings, and a good result in the fixture will strengthen their cause. With only the league to focus on following their quarter-final elimination in the Nedbank Cup, they are aiming to continue what has been a solid run of results in their last four matches having collected at least one point in each of their four most recent games.

It is a spell of fixtures that has seen the men from KZN tally up eight out of an available 12 points through two wins alongside stalemates against Sekhukhune United and Siwelele. The point earned in the Free State took their overall tally to 39, maintaining a mathematical – yet unlikely – shot at the title.

They have found their stride on the road following their initial struggles, winning four of their last seven away games while only losing two and drawing once. That record will again be under the microscope as they visit a Buccaneers side desperate to avoid even the slightest of slip-ups during their remainder of their campaign.

Usuthu make the trip to Soweto with at least two confirmed absentees, one of them being winger Nkosikhona Radebe whose two yellow cards against Siwelele rule him out through suspension. He misses out alongside goalkeeper Darren Johnson, who is out for the rest of the season after his injury withdrawal during his side’s cup defeat to Casric Stars in March.

Bucs Team News

A total of 18 points remain on offer for Pirates in their remaining fixtures, while a return to the top of the standings is also up for grabs as they eye a win over AmaZulu with only a point separating them from the log leaders. They could not capitalise on the opportunity to reclaim top spot in their most recent outing, where they had to twice fight from a goal down before settling for a point in an entertaining 2-2 draw away to Richards Bay.

It was an outcome that was far from ideal and a rare blemish in an otherwise impressive run of results as they remain unbeaten in the league since February, boasting five wins and two draws in their last seven games. This ongoing streak has also featured one of their more productive spells in front of goal, with 21 scored and just four conceded during this period.

Still engaged in a tight race to the finish, the Buccaneers’ returns under the points are almost evenly split between home and away fixtures. They have been slightly more efficient in Soweto, where they have collected 28 of their 55 points through nine wins and a single draw while falling on the losing side just twice.

Unlike their visitors heading into Saturday’s clash, Pirates have no suspended players while Sihle Nduli and Tapelo Xoki both continue their rehabilitation after missing a significant part of the season through injury.

Head-to-Head

Results between Pirates and AmaZulu have mainly gone the way of the Soweto Giants over the past two decades, and their most recent clash extended a familiar pattern as Relebohile Mofokeng found the net in the first half before forcing a last-gasp own goal to secure three points in the game played at Moses Mabhida Stadium in February.

The result in that fixture placed the Buccaneers in a position to complete a league double over Usuthu, something of a rare feat in recent seasons. They have failed to complete a sweep over the KZN outfit in over two decades, with their last double dating back to the 2003/04 campaign.

Despite not being able to put together a string of wins against the men in green, Pirates have maintained clear dominance in the fixture and currently enjoy an unbeaten run stretching over a dozen years. They have won 10 of the last 20 games between the two sides, with the other 10 finishing on level terms.

TV Coverage and Ticket Info

The game kicks off at 15:00 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport PSL. You can also stay in touch with the action by keeping an eye on live updates posted across Orlando Pirates social media channels.

Tickets to attend the match are available for purchase online on OpenTickets as well as selected retail outlets nationwide.

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