Orlando Pirates: Three KEY changes on the horizon for MTN8 finalists

Orlando Pirates will contest Saturday’s MTN8 final.

We predict three key changes that could see the Buccaneers bank some early silverware.

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The Buccaneers will still be licking their wounds after a disappointing Soweto Derby defeat to Kaizer Chiefs. They will, however, be determined to bounce back immediately. What better way to atone for that defeat, then, than by lifting silverware. After all, their archrivals haven’t done that for seven years.

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Three KEY changes on the horizon for Orlando Pirates

Riveiro must make a risky surprise selection

There was a sequence of three matches where Pirates failed to score in early October. Although they followed that with six goals in three matches, firing a blank in the Soweto Derby will be a big concern.

How can this lack of cutting edge issue be resolved? Perhaps Fortune Makaringe or Kwame Peprah could be installed into the starting lineup on Saturday. There’s nothing like a surprise factor to put an opposing manager on the back foot.

Orlando Pirates to recall Miguel Timm to improve their shape

Miguel Timm’s influence was sorely missed in the Soweto Derby but he’s now back from suspension and must be picked in the starting team for Saturday’s MTN8 final. His ability to dictate the tempo and keep the team’s shape will be vital to their chances on Saturday. It will also get the best out of Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo. Which reminds us…

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Riveiro’s team and tactics will be built around Ndlondlo

The 4-4-2 shape didn’t work against Kaizer Chiefs, although it was a system that included all three of Zakhele Lepasa, Kermit Erasmus and attacking midfield kingpin Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo. Manager Jose Riveiro must find a way to make things work between this talented trio though, even if it means a tactical tweak. If Ndlondlo is operating closer to the strikers, there’s every chance that Erasmus and Lepasa will profit from that.

If there’s a surprise selection in attack in the shape of the aforementioned Makaringe or Peprah, that selection must hinge on a player’s chemistry with Ndlondlo. Everything flows through the ex-Gallants playmaker.

What do you expect from Pirates in Saturday’s showpiece MTN8 final? Hit us up in the comments.

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