AmaZulu ready for 'best in Africa' Orlando Pirates - Martin keen 'to beat Bucs' after a long time

AmaZulu will play Orlando Pirates on Saturday in the Premier Soccer League game at the Orlando Stadium.

It is the third time the two teams will meet in the ongoing season, having played in the league once and in the Nedbank Cup, matches that ended 0-0 and 4-2 in favour of Bucs respectively.

Coach Pablo Franco Martin is optimistic his team can avenge the most recent loss at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

"You know the difficulties of playing Pirates at Orlando Stadium; we know that they are not only one of the best teams in South Africa but in the continent," the Usuthu coach told the media.

"We have already faced them twice this season, we got a point in the first game, and they had more time to prepare for the game than us.

"In the second game [during the Nedbank Cup quarter-final], we were very competitive, we played one of the best games of the season," he added.

"If we take the chances that we’re going to create, we will have confidence and it will help us overcome the challenge and give us confidence to finally beat them after such a long time."

The last time AmaZulu beat Pirates was more than a decade ago, a 1-0 PSL win on August 8, 2013.

It explains why the Soweto giants can fancy their chances of claiming maximum points in their push for the Caf Champions League position.

AmaZulu are currently placed 12th on the table with 28 points and a win might put them inside the top eight depending on other results.

Coach Jose Riveiro has to ensure his team deliver maximum points to avoid falling far behind in their race to play continental football next season.