Papi Zothwane not planning to ‘coach with fear’ ahead of massive Orlando Pirates cup tie

Orlando Pirates (https://iol.co.za/sport/soccer/2026-11-05-ouaddou-reveals-the-winning-mentality-he-inherited-from-riveiro-and-orlando-pirates/) have made the Orlando Amstel Arena (https://iol.co.za/sport/soccer/2026-11-06-mosimane-invokes-pirates-orlando-fortress-to-play-down-familiarity-with-mccarthy/) a difficult place for visiting teams, but Sekhukhune United head coach Papi Zothwane believes his side have what it takes to end their dominance.

The two teams meet in the Carling Knockout quarter-finals (https://iol.co.za/sport/soccer/psl/2026-11-04-every-house-has-a-toilet-ncikazi-breaks-silence-on-pirates-exit-and-ouaddou-rift/) on Saturday at 3 pm, with Sekhukhune looking to put an end to a run of three defeats against the Buccaneers this season.

Pirates have beaten Babina Noko once in the Betway Premiership and twice over two legs in the MTN8 semi-finals.

Their home record makes the challenge even more formidable. Pirates have won 10 of the 11 matches they have played at the Orlando Amstel Arena in all competitions, with the only exception coming in the MTN8 final, where they were the designated home side but played at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Zothwane, however, insists his team will not be intimidated by the occasion or the atmosphere created by the Pirates supporters.

“Every game we’ve played, the plan is to always be better than the other team, but we know it’s hard at the [Orlando Amstel] Arena because of the crowd,” he said at the Carling Knockout press conference. “The intimidation will always be there because Pirates supporters believe no one comes out of there, but as coaches we prepare our teams mentally to know what’s at stake because they know what awaits them in the next round if they win at Orlando.”

The Sekhukhune coach also believes confidence will be crucial if his team are to upset the odds against one of the most in-form sides in the country.

“We’re very confident because there’s no coach that approaches a game with Pirates or Sundowns with fear,” Zothwane added. “We have to be confident in our approach and our players, and I believe our players are capable of winning that match.”

Having faced Pirates three times already this season, Sekhukhune are aware that simply repeating their previous approach may not be enough to produce a different result.

Zothwane indicated that tactical adjustments would be necessary, although he does not intend to abandon the consistency his team have shown in recent matches.

“It can’t be played the same way. We have to change a bit. We still want to keep the consistency of the team because we feel that in the past six games the team has done very well,” he said.

Pirates will head into the encounter with the advantage of home support and a strong record at the venue, but Sekhukhune will see the cup tie as an opportunity to turn their season’s head-to-head record around and book a place in the semi-finals.