“We’re in for a thrilling final between two exciting teams”- Mark Fish

All attention turns to the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban this weekend as Soweto giants Orlando Pirates take on Stellenbosch in the final of the MTN8 tournament. While Pirates go into the MTN8 final as favourites, their opponents, Stellenbosch beat them three times last season and have a taste for the so-called “big teams”.

The game, which will be shown live on Showmax PL at 6pm, on Saturday, 5 October, will take place at last year’s cup final venue in Durban, the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Ahead of the game, Showmax caught up with Pirates legend Mark Fish to chat about the game.

Orlando Pirates legend Mark Fish knows just how important it is for the Buccaneers to lift the MTN8 trophy this weekend. There is plenty riding on it for the Soweto giants; including rewriting the history books. But there is something far more important that is at stake, Fish believes.

A victory against Stellenbosch Football Club this weekend will mean that Pirates will lift their first trophy of the season, which could very well determine the rest of the season for them.

“Winning their first trophy of the season would provide Pirates with a major stepping stone,” Fish told Showmax this week.

“We all know what Pirates’ biggest problem is and that is consistency. They perform well when it comes to one-off games. But hopefully if they win on Saturday, they will use the momentum to propel them for the rest of the season.”

Fish says this is a season of “expectation” for Pirates and he is expecting big things from his former club.
“As Pirates fans, we expect our team to push for the Betway Premiership this season. We expect to give Mamelodi Sundowns a much harder time than the past few seasons.”

However, Fish isn’t expecting an easy encounter against Steve Barker’s Stellenbosch Football Club in the MTN8 final this weekend.

“Stellenbosch is a very exciting team, a team that I truly admire,” says Fish. “What they are doing at the club is remarkable, and so it won’t be an easy game for Pirates, that’s for sure.”

“The club plays phenomenal football, their structure is great and they have set the standard in the PSL.”
Fish expects a thrilling final between the two teams on Saturday night at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

“The two clubs probably play a similar style of football . So it will be a very exciting football final with lots of opportunities.”

Fish is predicting a 2-1 win for his former club Pirates. “It’s really tough to predict an outcome because these are two really good teams. I was going to go for Pirates to win on penalties, but let’s hope it’s a 2-1 win to Pirates in normal time.”

“Stellenbosch will give Pirates a very good game. Steve Barker plays exciting football, so I am expecting a thrilling game.”

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