Orlando Pirates will look to extend their eight-match unbeaten run when they take on struggling Amazulu in a Telkom Knockout quarterfinal at the Moses Mabidha Stadium in Durban on Saturday.
Fresh from a 2-1 Soweto Derby win over Chiefs last weekend in which they came from a goal down including missing a penalty, to take all 3 league points, Pirates will be in a good head space. Pirates have only won the Telkom Knockout once, way back in 2006, and will have to do more than they did in seeing off Chippa United 1-0 in the previous round.
The same cannot apply to Amazulu who after beating Cape Town City 2-0 in the first round of the cup, got thumped 3-0 by the same opposition in the league last weekend.
Amazulu are in dire straits having being docked 6 points by FIFA for not honouring their contract with Namibian player Phinheas Nambandi back in 2014 and are now last on the league standings.
If ever there is a chance for Amazulu to bounce back, it is a win over Pirates in a cup competition with the Durban side having to look back to the Coca-Cola Cup of 1992 for the last time that they got their hands on major silverware.
Despite having only won once in their last 7 outings, Amazulu are unbeaten at home in their last five games and will be keen to set the record straight against the Soweto glamour clubs, having also lost 3-0 to Chiefs in the first round of last year's Telkom competition.
Statistics, for what they are worth, show that the match could be tighter than most think.
The scorelines in the past 15 matches between the two sides have been tight with a 2-0 win by Pirates in 2010 is the biggest winning margin.
The two sides met in a league fixture in Durban on October 6 when the match ended 1-all.