Pirates star: We need the the points more than Chiefs do

Defender Tapelo Xoki insists his side will be more desperate for a win than upcoming opponents Kaizer Chiefs when the two Soweto Giants go head-to-head on Saturday.

The Buccaneers have endured a bittersweet season so far that has seen them lift the MTN8 cup but also crash out of the CAF Champions League and the Carling Knockout.

Pirates have not fared much better in the league, collecting just three wins from their nine opening league matches.

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The Sea Robbers have not beaten Amakhosi in the league since 2021, but speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Soweto derby against Chiefs, Xoki insisted that it was up to the current generation of Pirates players to curb the trend.

"It's on us to change the history of the clubs and as current Pirates players, we have to play a part in that, we can't change the results of the past. Some of us were not here. We can play a factor in the current results," Xoki said.

"We have to make sure that we apply ourselves currently because we need the results, more than them I would say.

"We are not where we want to be, we have dropped some points recently but we know that we will pick ourselves up and continue climbing up the ladder.

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Both teams go into Saturday's clash on a high, having collected three points from their respective matches. Pirates defeated Sekhukhune United 1-0 on Tuesday while Chiefs registered a 3-2 win over Cape Town Spurs on Wednesday.

"The impact is huge, not only for us as players but for our supporters as well,"

"We need our supporters to go into the games with confidence and that result was huge for us because it gives our supporters the confidence to come out in numbers on Saturday, we are going to need their support."

The Soweto derby will be played at FNB Stadium. Kick-off is at 15:00.

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