Celtic to add pressure on Ruud Krol
Celtic to add pressure on Krol
Posted: 2010-03-11 13:15
Orlando Pirates and Bloemfontein Celtic will meet for the second time in the space of a week when they take to the field of the Orlando Stadium on Saturday evening for their first round Telkom Knockout clash.
Kick-off is at 20h15.
The teams faced off in their final Absa Premiership match last weekend, which ended in a 1-1 draw after goals from Celtic's Bongani Ndulula and Pirates' Ndumiso Mabena.
If that game serves as a reliable source of what to expect in Soweto on Saturday evening, then we are in for a tough game between two evenly-matched teams.
Their final League positions suggest much the same thing: the Buccaneers finished fifth on 44 points, while Siwelele were breathing down their necks in sixth place, just two points adrift.
Yet despite their similar position on the log table, they will have different feelings about the way their seasons have gone.
For a team with the support base and history of Pirates, fifth place is considered a failure. Celtic, on the other hand, will consider their League campaign a success, especially when considering that they were battling against relegation for the majority of last season.
This means that the Sea Robbers enter the game under significantly more pressure than their visitors from the Free State. Add in the fact that the Soweto giants have gone trophy-less since winning the League in 2003 and last claimed a cup title back in the year 2000, this becomes a must-win encounter for coach Ruud Krol and his players.
Both sides will be missing players who have been called up to Bafana Bafana's Brazil training camp.
Celtic will have to do without the duo of Thabo Nthethe and Tlou Segolela, while Pirates have been shorn of no less than six key players: Moeneeb Josephs, Andile Jali, Thulasizwe Mbuyane, Teko Modise, Gert Schalkwyk and Lucas Thwala.
The Buccaneers be looking to lay to rest the ghosts of last season's Telkom Knockout final when they succumbed 2-1 to Ajax Cape Town. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Pirates and their long-suffering supporters but it should serve as a great motivating factor for them this time around.
Celtic, however, have been stern competitors in the last two editions of the Telkom Knockout. After exiting the 2006 edition at the first round, they reached the semifinals in both 2007 and 2008. This year they will be hoping to go one step further and reach a first Telkom Knockout final.
The teams have met in 53 League and Cup games since 1985, with Pirates winning 28 games to Celtic's 10 and outscoring the Bloemfontein side 81 goals to 48.
The duo have faced each other no less than nine times in cup competitions, with the Buccaneers claiming three wins to Celtic's two.
: 2010-03-11 13:19
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