Orlando Pirates midfielder admits Mamelodi Sundowns PSL dominance makes him 'sad' ahead of crunch showdown

When Mamelodi Sundowns visit Orlando Pirates' at the FNB Stadium, there will be one mission for both teams: collect maximum points.

The Buccaneers now hold a six-point lead after a 3-0 thrashing of Marumo Gallants, with goals from Yanela Mbuthuma, Patrick Maswanganyi and Relebohile Mofokeng's stunning solo strike, while the Pretoria side were booking their place in the CAF Champions League after a 2-0 win over Rhulani Mokwena's MC Alger.

While the importance of the match to Bucs title aspirations is not totally lost on the veteran 36-year-old, it is the  lengthy dominance the Chloorkop side has held over the domestic league that has moved him to speak out.

"For me, I take each and every game as a big match but with Sundowns everyone is looking forward to the game because I think somewhere, somehow it is sad always seeing them win the league," Makhaula told the media, as reported by FarPost.

He then dismissed talk of the match being a league decider.

"I can say that winning will make us happy because everyone is looking at this fixture and everyone is saying it could be the decider of the league but I’m saying what if we play a draw?" he added.

"What if we win or they win? And there are also other teams that are competing because we’re not only playing Sundowns.

"Those points against the other teams are important. So we need to push them hard."

Speaking after beating Rhulani Mokwena's MC Alger, Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso was already looking forward to the clash with their league title rivals. 

"There's no life in football that is so far ahead. It's day by day; that's how you need to live because life brings us so many surprises that if we start living three weeks or one month ahead, you are going to focus on what is not important," he told the media.

"Maximum focus is on Wednesday. It's a very important match, a very beautiful match to prepare for.

"A fantastic match to experience, and for sure, a fantastic show in terms of what football is for South Africa. 

"That's what we are going to worry about," the Downs coach concluded.

In the last five games, Downs have registered just three wins, a draw and a loss across all competitions.

On the other hand, Bucs have four wins and a draw in all competitions.

Masandawana face a further challenge: Bafana Bafana midfielder Bathusi Aubaas will not be available due to suspension.

Matches between the two teams have generally been tight affairs, more likely to end in a draw than a conclusive result like Sundowns 4-1 win in February last year. That result was quickly avenged when Pirates won the home fixture 2-1 just over a month later.