Former Kaizer Chiefs & Orlando Pirates striker Lehlohonolo Majoro has earmarked the Buccaneers to push Mamelodi Sundowns to the end in the league title race this coming season.
Majoro, who featured for both Soweto giants between 2011 and 2016, believes Bucs have given themselves ample time to launch an actual challenge against Sundowns who have won seven consecutive league titles while Pirates have won four trophies over the last two seasons.
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The 38-year-old Ladybrand-born credited how the Buccaneers have been building with the same coach for the last two terms by investing in their recruitment, something that is evident following the CAF Champions League preliminary round progression as well as another MTN8 final berth.
Speaking to iDiski Times senior writer Velile Mnyandu in edition 171, ‘Major’ said it’s not even about how Sundowns started their campaign but how Pirates have elevated their own game.
“I always tell people that Orlando Pirates have given themselves two or three seasons of building using the same coach,” Majoro told iDiski Times.
“During this period, the coach had gotten an opportunity to know the players that he had to reinforce the squad based [on what] he had seen when he got here and what he had experienced as well, and this has informed his recruitment strategy as well.
“This is why we have seen the Pirates win a trophy almost every season, even now in the MTN8. We saw how they have been performing from their pre-season games in Spain. They are going pound for pound with international teams, which shows growth, them trying to challenge themselves; this was also evident in their CAF game recently as well.
“You see that Pirates is a team with ambition; they have set their goals and targets, and they are living up to that.
With Sundowns, I don’t see that happening this season [winning the league title by April]. Not because of how they have played the past two games that we’ve seen, but based on how Pirates have elevated their standard from the past seasons.”
