Welcome to the IOL Sport live blog the MTN8 final showdown between defending champions Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night (kickoff 6pm).
After an elongated international break, the South African domestic football scene resumes with the country’s top two teams in the country competing for the first piece of silverware on offer.
Pirates a gunning for a record fifth-straight trophy, while Sundowns want to win a trophy that has eluded them for the last few years.
Follow the live action right here …
The teams for the final are out …
Orlando Pirates: Chaine, Sibisi, Seema, Hotto, Sebelebele, Mbatha, Mokobodi, Selepe, Lungu, Moremi, Mbuthuma.
Mamelodi Sundowns: Williams, Ndamane, Matuludi, Khoza, Morena, Modiba, Mokoena, Allende, Santos, Matthews, Leon.
Fans get ready for the massive clash …
While Kaizer Chiefs aren’t involved in the MTN8 final, there were quite a few of their supporters spotted at the Moses Mabhida Stadium …
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Build-up towards the big game
The healthy rivalry between Pirates and means coaches, Abdeslam Ouaddou and Miguel Cardoso must find working tactical solutions that will win their team the MTN8 showdown at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night (6pm).
Pirates and Sundowns have been the best teams in domestic football over the last decade. Not only have they won the most trophies between them, but they’ve also played with sheer dominance and class.
While they might have shared that success, Pirates have had the upper hand in domestic cup football, having won seven trophies in the last four seasons, after only dethroning Sundowns of the title last season following their eight-year streak of dominance.
With Pirates having also beaten Sundowns in two cup finals over the last five years – the MTN8 final in 2023 and the Nedbank Cup final in 2024 – the Brazilians will be eager to be third time lucky when the two sides meet in Durban.
However, such is Sundowns’ focus on regaining their dominance in domestic cup competitions, after recently conquering Africa and the Asian and Pacific region, that they are not dwelling on those past final defeats to Pirates.
“It’s not personal,” Sundowns defender Grant Kekana said. “We don’t like personalising games. I think it’s just more about us doing better than we did last season.
“We had a good start to the season, so we just want to keep the momentum. We are highly motivated and all positive. All the players have been getting a chance, so I don’t think we are far off from one another as teams.
“It’s just about us implementing what we know and have been working on so that we get a positive result this weekend.”
Indeed, the two teams know a lot about each other. Not only have both enjoyed an unbeaten start to reach the final, sit top of the Betway Premiership, and stand one tie away from the CAF Champions League group stage, but their players also share strong camaraderie in the national team, Bafana Bafana.
As such, while the battle on the pitch requires club allegiance and focus on the job at hand, they remain brothers after the final whistle. That’s why the coaches need to win the game tactically, rather than through mind games or physical battles.
“The brotherhood has helped us a lot in terms of understanding each other – even as rivals,” Kekana said. “Football has evolved. It used to be a physical battle, but now it’s about who gets it right tactically.
“So, it’s going to be another one of those. We just hope it’s going to be an enjoyable game for the neutrals and especially our supporters. We are going to leave everything on the field – even a piece of our skin.”
