Orlando Pirates captain Nkosinathi Sibisi has urged caution as the Buccaneers prepare to face Magesi in a Betway Premiership clash on 31 January, warning that having games in hand does not automatically translate into success in the title race.
Pirates currently sit third on the log and will be looking to move ahead of arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs, who climbed into second place after edging Marumo Gallants 1–0 on Wednesday.
Although the Buccaneers ended last year at the summit of the standings, a draw against Sekhukhune saw them drop to third place in a tightly contested table.
Speaking to the media ahead of the encounter, Sibisi stressed the importance of consistency and focus. “A game in hand doesn’t necessarily guarantee you points,” Sibisi said.
“We still have to play those games against very tough opponents. We are not only looking towards the top end of the table but also below us, the gap is very close this season. For us, it’s about taking it one game at a time.”
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Despite the slight dip in form, Sibisi remains confident that Pirates will be among the contenders at the business end of the campaign.
“For us, it is just to keep going. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. Looking at how we started the first round of the campaign, we were slow, but we managed to gain momentum and get the results coming.”
Reflecting on the AFCON break, the Pirates skipper admitted that the pause came at an inconvenient time, halting the momentum the team had built before the year-end break. “I’d like to say the break didn’t help us because we would have liked to continue with the momentum we had, but it’s circumstances beyond our control.”
However, Sibisi is determined not to allow external factors to distract the squad from their objectives, insisting that the focus remains on performance rather than pressure.
“We don’t want to put pressure on ourselves. We just want to deliver results and see how we finish at the end of the season,” he concluded.