MTN8 Final: All the Important and Historic Numbers as Orlando Pirates Takes on AmaZulu

• South Africa is excited in anticipation of the MTN8 final between Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu on Saturday evening
• The two oldest soccer teams in the country will collide for the trophy at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban
• There are many interesting facts surrounding the encounter, as the Buccaneers and Usuthu chase the season's first piece of silverware

Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu will vie for the MTN8 trophy in a keenly anticipated final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday evening.

This will be the first finale between both teams - the two oldest in the country - in nearly 50 years.

Several stats and facts will underpin this encounter, as the first piece of silverware goes up for grabs in Durban.

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Facts about the MTN8 clash:

1 – Coaches Jose Riveiro and Romain Folz are up for their first trophies in South African football. They both joined their respective clubs this season.

1 – Pirates has only conceded one goal all tournament, in the 2-1 win over Royal AM in the quarter-finals.

1 – Just one team from KwaZulu-Natal has won this tournament, with Golden Arrows slapping Ajax Cape Town 6-0 in 2009.

2 – The Buccaneers have a sketchy record in MTN8 finals at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. They won in 2010 and 2020 (Moroka Swallows and Bloemfontein Celtic), but lost in 2013 and 2014 (Platinum Stars and Kaizer Chiefs).

3 – AmaZulu boasts three players who have played in every minute of this season's tournament: goalkeeper Veli Mothwa, Riaan Hanamub and Makhehlene Makhaula.

4 – On the other hand, Pirates have four: Innocent Maela, Olisa Ndah, Nkosinathi Sibisi and Miguel Timm.

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6 – Since MTN took over as the competition's sponsor in 2007, Pirates has made the most appearances with six.

7 – Seven previous finals of the competition have reached the dreaded penalty shoot-out.

10 – The Buccaneers have won the competition 10 times since its inception in the 1970s, second behind Kaizer Chiefs which has won it on 15 occasions. Pirates have appeared in 16 finals.

28 – It has been 28 years since the two sides met in the top 8 competition. They have never met in its final before, and this will be the first time they have met in any final since 1974.

32 – Folz is the youngest coach in the modern era to lead a South African team to a cup final, at just 32 years old.

48 – This will be the 48th time that a top 8 final will take place since the inception of the competition in 1972. There were no competitions in 1997, 1998 and 1998.

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69 – Pirates and AmaZulu have met in 69 official matches before. Pirates has won 32 times and AmaZulu has claimed 11 victories, with 26 matches having finished in a draw.

76 – The last top 8 final AmaZulu reached was in 1976, where they were thumped 8-2 on aggregate by Chiefs.

MTN8 final: a rare meeting

Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu are preparing for the MTN8 final on Saturday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

As reported by Sports Brief, the Buccaneers defeated Mamelodi Sundowns, while Usuthu accounted for Kaizer Chiefs in the competition's semi-finals.

The two oldest existing teams in South African football rarely ever meet in cup competitions, judging by the facts.