Richards Bay do not fear high-flying Nedbank Cup defending champions Orlando Pirates - 'We respect Bucs but not intimidated! We fancy our chances'

Richards Bay were paired with the defending Nedbank Cup champions Orlando Pirates in the Round of 32.

The game is scheduled to be played at the King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium from 3 pm SAT.

Bucs are hoping to go all the way and win the annual competition for the third time in a row.

The Natal Rich Boys have not been an easy team for the Buccaneers across all competitions.

In the previous Carling Knockout outing, they eliminated the Soweto giants in the initial stages.

They followed it up with a draw and a win in the Premier Soccer League games with the Jose Riveiro-led outfit.

However, in the past two league outings, Pirates have recorded back-to-back 1-0 wins.

Ronnie Gabriel, who is Richards Bay's caretaker coach, believes they can get past Pirates who have been doing well this season.

They successfully defended their MTN8 crown and are in the quarter-final of the Caf Champions League.

“We know that Pirates are a team on the up and they are in good form. However, if you look at our previous games against them, we always give them a good competitive fixture," he said ahead of the game.

"We always give them something to think about. Last year we went to Orlando and we beat them there on their home ground.

"So, we fancy our chances going into this fixture. We are not intimidated by the opposition as much as we respect them, we believe that we have a squad capable of handling Pirates on the day," Gabriel concluded.

Pirates haven't played any game for a week after their impressive 2-1 win over Al Ahly in the Caf Champions League.

They are high in confidence ahead of the game against Richards Bay.

In the Carling Knockout, eventual champions Magesi FC beat Bucs in the first hurdle. Coach Jose Riveiro will be aiming to prevent a repeat of the same.