Orlando Pirates have confirmed that new singing Gilberto could finally make his debut for the club after receiving his work permit.
Gilberto, 23, joined the Buccaneers from Angolan giants Petro de Luanda but so far fans of the Soweto giants were only able to see him in pre-season friendlies, where he found the back of the net against Granada.
But he missed the first three matches of 2024/25 due to work permit issues, with the club now confirming that he is available for Wednesday’s MTN8 semi-final first leg against Cape Town City.
“Pirates have had a few boosts heading into the clash with Thabiso Monyane and Miguel Timm both returning to action on Friday after short injury layoffs, while new signing Gilberto has since become available for selection,” the club stated.
Meanwhile, assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi has insisted it’s important for his side to score in Wednesday’s away leg in Cape Town.
“The dynamics of the competition just say one thing that you need to score away from home,” he told the club’s media department.
“It doesn’t guarantee you a win but it gives you an advantage.
“So in everything we do, we’re focussing on trying to score, trying to stop them from scoring and then winning the match.
“I’m confident based on what I’ve seen that we are going to go to the next round though there is still a second leg.”
The MTN8 semi-final first leg, which had to be postponded from Tuesday to Wednesday, kicks off at 18:00 at DHL Stadium.
