Orlando Pirates Determined to Climb Back Up to the Top of the DStv Diski Challenge Table

• Orlando Pirates reserves head coach Mandla Qhogi believes his team will be back on top of the DStv Diski Challenge log table after this weekend's clash against Mamelodi Sundowns
• The young Bucs have been in dreadful form since the turn of the year, letting the free-scoring Stellenbosch FC overtake them in first place
• A victory over the Brazilians and a Maroons draw or loss elsewhere will ensure that Pirates move back to the top of the log

Orlando Pirates reserves head coach Mandla Qhogi wants the young Bucs back on top of the DStv Diski Challenge table by the end of this weekend with a much-needed win against Mamelodi Sundowns.

Pirates and Stellenbosch FC are locked in a title race for the ages, separated by just a solitary point. After 25 matches played each, the Maroons and the Buccaneers are on 52 and 51 points respectively.

Pirates was in excellent form sitting comfortably at the summit until hitting a form rut in the second half of the season that saw Stellenbosch pop out of nowhere and take the lead.

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Qhogi said to SowetanLIVE:

“Playing against Sundowns, it’s a very important game for us, if we win on the weekend, it will take us to the top. There’s a chance that Stellenbosch may play a draw with SuperSport. So we are looking forward to that game.

"It’s an important game for us to win. We have to make sure we win on Saturday so we can be on top until we finish the season. We are playing Sundowns, a team that likes to keep the ball, so we have to nullify their strengths and make sure we expose their weaknesses."

Pirates has never won the league title at this level since the inception of the Diski Challenge in 2014. Stellenbosch is also chasing its first ever championship.

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As reported on Sports Brief, the Maroons continued to lead the Buccaneers by a solitary point after the latest round of matches.

Free-scoring Stellenbosch, for a surprising change, failed to score in a 0-0 draw against Amazulu at home in the Western Cape. Pirates conceded a last-minute goal against Golden Arrows in KwaZulu-Natal for a costly 2-2 draw, missing out on a win that would have put them back on top of the table.