Some ties feel like a rematch. This one feels like knocking on the same door for the fourth time, knowing exactly how heavy it is. Sekhukhune United have met Orlando Pirates three times this season, and three times they have gone home without a goal.
That is where this Pirates v Sekhukhune preview has to start, because it is the whole question on Saturday. The knockout cup quarter-final kicks off at 15:00 SAST at Orlando Amstel Arena in Soweto, and the holders are at home again. For Pirates it is the first step back towards silverware since Sundowns took the MTN8 from them. For Sekhukhune, under a coach who has been in charge since September, it is a chance to prove August was a different team.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Match | Orlando Pirates v Sekhukhune United, knockout cup quarter-final |
| When | Saturday 7 November 2026, 15:00 SAST |
| Where | Orlando Stadium, Soweto |
| Holders | Orlando Pirates (1-0 after extra time v Marumo Gallants, 6 December 2025) |
| League positions | Pirates 2nd, 25 points from 9; Sekhukhune 6th, 14 points from 9 (PSL) |
| This season | Pirates 3 wins from 3 v Sekhukhune, 6 goals scored, none conceded |
Pirates v Sekhukhune preview: what the holders are playing for
The Buccaneers have spent the last month answering one bad night in Durban. Sundowns beat them 2-0 in the MTN8 final at Moses Mabhida Stadium on 10 October, ending their run in that competition. Three weeks later Pirates won the Soweto Derby 2-1 at FNB Stadium, their most recent match.
They are second in the Betway Premiership, a point behind Sundowns with a game in hand, according to the PSL’s log. The CAF Champions League group stage starts on the weekend of 27 to 29 November, with RS Berkane, Simba SC and Colombe Sportive waiting in Group C. And this trophy is theirs to lose: Pirates beat Marumo Gallants 1-0 after extra time in last season’s final at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, on 6 December 2025. The PSL records it as their second title in the competition, after 2011.
Captain Nkosinathi Sibisi has set the bar where Pirates fans like it. “We can do quite a lot this season. We are gunning for everything,” he said in an interview carried by the Sowetan and TimesLIVE this week. He listed what is still on the table: the league and this cup to defend, the Champions League, and the Nedbank Cup later in the season. Losing one final has not shrunk the ambition.
Three meetings, six goals, no reply
If Sekhukhune need reminding why Saturday is daunting, August will do it. The sides met three times in eight days.
| Date | Competition | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 22 August | MTN8 semi-final, first leg | Sekhukhune 0-1 Pirates | Old Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane |
| Tuesday 25 August | Betway Premiership | Pirates 2-0 Sekhukhune | Orlando Stadium |
| Saturday 29 August | MTN8 semi-final, second leg | Pirates 3-0 Sekhukhune (4-0 on aggregate) | Orlando Stadium |
Boitumelo Radiopane and Oswin Appollis scored in the league game. The second leg sent Pirates into a fifth consecutive MTN8 final, which FARPost noted had never been done in the competition’s history.
The fallout landed on the other bench. On Tuesday 1 September, Sekhukhune announced that Cedric Kaze had left the club by mutual agreement, with immediate effect. FARPost reported that his exit followed those three straight defeats by Pirates. Papi Zothwane was promoted to head coach, with Paulus Masehe as his assistant.
Sekhukhune’s new era under Zothwane
Babina Noko are a different proposition now, at least on paper. They sit sixth in the league with 14 points and four wins from nine matches, and they reached this round by beating Richards Bay 3-1 at Peter Mokaba Stadium on 25 October. Zothwane made his target plain after that game. “In this cup, you play three games and you are in the final and you can even win it,” he told AfricaSoccer.
This week he has been talking about the weight of history, and how to ignore it. Speaking to EWN, he said his side cannot dwell on the earlier results and must approach Pirates differently. “It can’t be played the same way,” he said. “We have to change a bit.” He also wants to keep the core of a team he believes has played well over its last six games, and EWN reports that he wants his side to score first.
He knows what the setting does to visiting teams. “The Arena gets packed, and sometimes I don’t even hear myself shouting at players from the touchline,” he told the Daily Sun, adding that cup games come down to who wants it more. Leadership on the field, he said, is what he is looking for.
Team news and the men in form
Neither club had published team news by Friday morning. The Pirates news page carried nothing beyond the derby, and none of this week’s press reports mentioned an injury, suspension or return on either side. If either club names a squad or rules a player out before kick-off, it will change this section.
What Pirates do have is a forward in form. Tshepang Moremi scored twice and set up the other goal in the 3-0 last-16 win over Milford on 27 October, then scored Pirates’ second in the derby four days later. Against a defence that has not found a way to keep Pirates out this season, he is the obvious threat.
What Ouaddou expects
Abdeslam Ouaddou is not treating three wins as a guarantee of a fourth. At a press conference at the PSL’s offices in Parktown on Thursday, reported by AfricaSoccer, the Pirates coach said: “It will be one of the most difficult games we’ve ever played.” He added: “We need to be at the height of our form to win this game. We need to defend our title.”
That fits the picture Sibisi painted of his coach. In the same interview, the captain said Ouaddou is never satisfied, even after a comfortable win: three or four goals, in his view, should have been eight or ten. Sibisi called him a straight talker and said the players take it in a positive way. A side coached like that does not ease off against an opponent it has already beaten three times.
Where it will be won
Our view: the first goal decides more than usual here. Sekhukhune have not scored in three matches against Pirates this season, so an early Pirates goal would ask them to do something they have not managed once. If Babina Noko get to half-time level, the pressure shifts. A packed home crowd expects the holders to win, and that expectation can become impatience.
Zothwane’s talk of changing the approach matters for the same reason. Three straight defeats suggest that sitting deep and hoping has not worked. Whether “a bit” of change means a higher press, a different shape or simply more belief, we find out on Saturday. Pirates remain clear favourites on form, record and venue. The case for an upset rests on one idea: cup ties do not care about August.
What comes next
The winner joins Mamelodi Sundowns, who beat Golden Arrows 1-0 at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday, in the semi-finals. Sunday brings the other two quarter-finals: Kaizer Chiefs v Siwelele at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, and Stellenbosch v AmaZulu at Danie Craven Stadium at 18:00. Our weekend fixture guide has every time in SAST. For more on the holders, see our Orlando Pirates page.
Frequently asked questions
When is Orlando Pirates v Sekhukhune United in the knockout cup?
The quarter-final is on Saturday 7 November 2026 at 15:00 SAST, at Orlando Stadium in Soweto. Pirates are at home.
Have Pirates beaten Sekhukhune this season?
Yes, three times, all in August. Pirates won the MTN8 semi-final 1-0 away and 3-0 at home, and won the league match 2-0, so Sekhukhune have not scored against them this season.
Who is Sekhukhune United’s coach?
Papi Zothwane. Sekhukhune announced on 1 September 2026 that Cedric Kaze had left by mutual agreement and promoted Zothwane to head coach, with Paulus Masehe assisting.
Who won the knockout cup last season?
Orlando Pirates. They beat Marumo Gallants 1-0 after extra time in the final at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on 6 December 2025.
Who else is in the knockout cup quarter-finals?
Mamelodi Sundowns are already through after beating Golden Arrows 1-0. On Sunday, Kaizer Chiefs play Siwelele in Polokwane and Stellenbosch host AmaZulu at Danie Craven Stadium.