PIC: Tshegofatso Mabasa (left) and Relebohile Mofokeng celebrate a goal in the Nedbank Cup clash against Hungry Lions

Chippa United will host defending champions Orlando Pirates in their Nedbank Cup semifinal clash at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on May 4, a clash that has the potential to be a knockout classic.
We look at five key factors ahead of the game. 

Pirates have history on their side

The teams have met on 22 previous occasions with Pirates overwhelmingly the most successful side with 15 victories to only four for Chippa United. There have also only been three draws in the past, a relatively low number. In matches at Chippa, Pirates lead the head-to-head with seven wins to two, and two draws. Chippa’s last home win over The Buccaneers came in a 2-0 success in May 2016.    

A rare cup meeting

These two teams have only met once before in a knockout game and this will be their maiden clash in the prestigious Nedbank Cup. The only other cup outing was a 1-0 home success for Pirates in the 2018 Telkom Knockout. Vincent Pule scored the only goal on the hour-mark at the Orlando Stadium.

Mabasa has strong record against Chippa
Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabasa is arguably the form forward in the PSL having scored seven goals in his last six outings for The Buccaneers in all competitions. And he is also the club’s joint all-time top-scorer against Chippa having netted three times against them in the past, the same number as Mpho Makola. He will be a huge threat for Pirates and also already has three goals in the Nedbank Cup campaign this season to be one of the joint top-scorers so far.

The Mosele effect
Usually when a player is on loan he is unable to play against his parent club, but Pirates appear to have relaxed that stipulation for Goodman Mosele … and it has already cost them this season. The midfielder is spending the campaign at Chippa and has been in fine form, earning a recall to the Bafana Bafana squad. He also scored against Pirates in the only league outing between the teams so far this season, a 1-1 draw in August. He has the potential to be a match-winner for the home side.    

Chippa’s fine form
Chippa are finding their form in the latter stages of the 2023/24 season and are currently on a joint club record four wins in a row in all competitions. They must face AmaZulu away before they clash with Pirates in their semifinal. They previously found the going tough at home, for unknown reasons, but have won five of their last seven (D1 L1) on their own patch in a real turnaround in fortunes. Beware Pirates …