Orlando Pirates face a stern test when they take on Saudi Pro League giants Al-Ittihad Club at the Banus Football Center this evening.
The Betway Premiership champions have an opportunity to gauge their readiness against one of Asia’s powerhouses after going unbeaten in their first two pre-season matches.
Abdeslam Ouaddou’s charges played to a tense 1-1 stalemate against Córdoba in their first clash with Boitumelo Radiopane netting for the Buccaneers.
Against Cádiz CF over the weekend, the South African champions showed exactly why they made a near clean sweep in the domestic league as they rallied from a goal down to beat the Spanish Segunda side 2-1 through Tshepang Moremi’s thunderous shot and Daniel Msendami’s close range tap-in for the three points.
Ittihad on the other hand finished the 2025/26 Saudi League in fifth position and are gearing up for their first pre-season match.
The Jeddah-based outfit boasts the likes of Netherlands international Steven Bergwijn, Danilo Pereira of Portugal and France’s Moussa Diaby just to mention a few.
Here’s a look at how both teams will square up:
Pirates Starting XI: Chaine, Sibisi, Seema, Ndaba, Van Rooyen, Ndili, Mbatha, Maswanganyi, Appollis, Moremi, Makgopa
Subs: Dladla, Xoki, Zulu, Hotto, Sebelebele, Selepe, Mariko, Masilela, Ngwato, Padime, Mbuthuma
Ittihad Starting XI: tbc.
The match will get underway this evening at 19:00 SAST and will be broadcast live on SuperSport Channel 209 as well as Pirates TV on YouTube.
Did you know that the iDiski Times Digital Newspaper is completely free! Download it now by clicking the button below or fill in the form to have it sent to you every week.