The Bucs will not be on holiday like most visitors heading out to this Tunisian beach heaven but have a football match to contest with Etoile du Sahel at the Stade Olympique de Sousse on Sunday (16h00 SA time).
That football match is the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup Final that will decide who wins the trophy which has never been won by a South African club since the competition came into existence in 2004.
For now the contest is hanging with the two clubs having played out a 1-1 draw at Orlando Stadium last Saturday.
— Orlando Pirates FC (@Orlando_Pirates) November 27, 2015
Judgement day is on Sunday.
It could be argued that after scoring away, Etoile have the edge and will be favoured by some to come out as aggregate winners on Sunday considering that they have been ruthless at home, winning all seven matches at their 30 000-seater stadium in this year’s competition. Etoile have scored 14 goals at home through those seven wins.
However, with Pirates in need of at least a goal to stay alive they will know that this is something they have been doing throughout the year whenever they have travelled, scoring on all their seven away matches.
So the mission to score away is neither an unusual ask nor is it an extraordinary task.
The Bucs have scored 13 on the road and, in need of just one goal to give themselves a chance of staying alive, it doesn’t look an impossible task. As long as Pirates do what they have done so far on the road – score – and then in this case avoid losing, they will be in it.
If Pirates score and win, they will obviously be crowned the new champions. If they score and the game ends in a 1-1 draw (2-2 on aggregate), then the winner will be determined by penalty kicks. There will be no extra-time in this scenario and the game will go straight to a penalty shootout.
Any other draw with Pirates scoring at least twice will also suit the Buccaneers as they will win on the away-goal rule having scored more goals away from home, which means 2-2, 3-3 or 4-4 will work to the favour of Ezikamagebhula.
The only draw that doesn’t suit Pirates is 0-0 as that will swing the aggregate score in Etoile’s favour on the very same away-goal rule that is applied whenever there is an aggregate tie.
So this is it, as long as it is not a defeat or goalless draw then Pirates are in it.
Come on Pirates you can do this.
Up the Bucs!