Orlando Pirates legend makes bold PSL title race claim - 'The league is gone, we shouldn’t act as if this is an accident, people must stop comparing the Buccaneers to Mamelodi Sundowns'

Orlando Pirates are facing the uphill task of dethroning Mamelodi Sundowns as Premier Soccer League champions.

The Buccaneers made life difficult for themselves when they lost 2-0 to Marumo Gallants to fall 18 points below log leaders Masandawana.

Former Pirates goalkeeper Innocent Mayoyo is not giving his old club a chance in this title race, saying Sundowns are just as good as the champions.

"The league is gone," Mayoyo told KickOff.

"I don't think anyone can dispute that, and it's painful because we all know what we're talking about. My experience with the South African league tells me the title is lost, and we shouldn’t act as if this is an accident.

"We've become accustomed to this for the past seven years. Jose Riveiro must start by addressing the issues at hand, as many of the players signed in the last two seasons are no longer crucial to the club. Players like [Miguel] Timm and [Ndabayithethwa] Ndlondlo come to mind," added teh former Buccaneers goalkeeper.

"I mean, how can a big club sign a player who hasn't won anything at his previous club? You need players with strong mentality and experience.

"People must stop comparing Pirates to Sundowns. That’s where they go wrong. We must accept that the current Pirates team is just beginning to gain experience in playing in Africa."

What could give Pirates hope in this PSL title race is that they have played four fewer matches than Sundowns.

Should the Buccaneers win those four games in hand while Sundowns also maintain a winning streak, Pirates will close in on the log leaders to six points.

That makes this PSL title race potentially stormy towards the end of the campaign.

Sundowns will be seeking to maintain their lead when they visit Golden Arrows to face a returning Manqoba Mngqithi at Mpumalanga Stadium on Wednesday.

On the same evening, Pirates will be at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium to face Chippa United as they seek to pile pressure on Masandawana.