Best Orlando Pirates XI after Riveiro leaves?
Chaine; Van Rooyen, Xoki, Mbokazi, Hotto; Mbatha, Nemtajela ; Nkota, Maswanganyi, Mofokeng; Mabasa.
It's unlikely that wholesale changes will be made to a settled, predominantly young squad. However, there are a couple of key areas needing improvement. 24-year-old Marumo Gallants midfield general Masindi Nemtajela is seen as a natural successor to the impressive but ageing Makhehlene Makhaula.
Could Pirates also do with a new left-back? The evergreen Deon Hotto is 34.
Wearing the number 47 jersey, Simphiwe Selepe has made his full Betway premiership debut for the Buccaneers. His debut for the club came not long ago, as a substitute against Kaizer Chiefs earlier this month. DDC youngster Cemran Dansin, still just 17, was also named in the matchday squad, which beat Golden Arrows 3-0. The goals came courtesy of Tshegofatso Mabasa, Bandsile Shandu and Kabelo Dlamini.
Scroll through this article for a player bio on Number 47, Simphiwe Selepe
Let us know by leaving a comment below or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Also, subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
37 minutes ago
- The South African
Springboks vs Wallabies: What time to pour the brandy?
The mad scientist, Rassie Erasmus. Image: Citizen The mighty Springboks kick off their Rugby Championship title defence against old foes, the Wallabies. Here's all you need to know. Rassie Erasmus will name his side on Monday, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu expected to play in the pivot role. Grant Williams' electric pace could prove handy alongside 23-year-old Mngomezulu in an exciting halfback pairing. Predicted Springbok XV Sacha will wear 10 against Australia. Image: The Citizen The Springbok team to face the Wallabies at Ellis Park will be named at 11:30 on Monday, 11 August. The teams meet again, a week later, in beautiful Cape Town. WHOLESOME: New All Blacks call-up named after Springboks legend Matt Mann, aka SA Rugby Oke, receives plenty of user-generated video submissions from South Africans showing off their unique brandy & coke recipes. Here's one of the more popular reels on Instagram, it's certainly not every day you see someone stirring a cocktail with a piesang! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Matt Mann (@sarugbyoke) 16 August: vs Australia, Ellis Park, Johannesburg. Kick off: 17:10 . . 23 August: vs Australia, DHL Stadium, Cape Town. Kick off: 17:10 . . 6 September: vs New Zealand, Auckland. Kick off: 09:05 . . 13 September: vs New Zealand, Wellington. Kick off: 09:05 . . 27 September: vs Argentina, Kings Park, Durban. Kick off: 17:10 . . 4 October: vs Argentina, London. Kick off: 15:00 . . 1 November: vs Japan, Brighton. Kick off: TBD. 8 November: vs France, Paris. Kick off: 22:10. 15 November: vs Italy, Turin. Kick off: 14:40 22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin. Kick off: 19:40. 29 November: vs Wales, Cardiff. Kick off: 17:10. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
37 minutes ago
- The Citizen
Sekhukhune, Pumas show it can pay to back a longshot
Punters can beat the odds if they think smartly and spot value. Underdogs are still alive and kicking in sport, even in this era of professionalism, data and algorithms. A couple of shock results in high-profile matches at the weekend proved it. Sekhukhune United rocked mighty Orlando Pirates 1-0 in a Betway Premiership opening fixture to gladden the hearts of neutrals, their fans in Limpopo and those punters brave enough to chance a few rands on them. Sekhukhune were at 6.00 for the away win (with Pirates at 1.48 and the draw at 3.40), long odds for a contest between two sides in the same league. The betting board told a story: last year's league runners-up Pirates had the player strength, home fan support and historical aura to make short work of upstarts Sekhukhune. But there was subtext to this story, which a few clever punters managed to decipher: Pirates had a new coach and seven new players, leaving them vulnerable to disjointedness and a smash-and-grab from a well-organised team that has been on an upward trajectory for a couple of years. Over in Pretoria, in rugby's Currie Cup, home side the Bulls (1.01) were hot favourites to beat the Pumas (10.00). Again, the signal from the data analysts and odds-setters was that it would be one-way traffic. And it was. Just not the way they thought it would be! The Pumas steamrollered their fancied opponents 41-7. Again, smart followers of the game might have seen that the visitors were a mature, settled outfit, while the Bulls – also with a new coach – fielded youth and brilliance but relative inexperience in the trenches of an ultra-tough battlefield. Lesson learnt? Successfully backing outsiders is not easy and looking to beat the odds shouldn't be any bettor's only strategy. But an eye should always be kept open for the value gap. If odds are long, a wager can be modest yet yield a pleasing return.
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
Orlando Pirates Abdeslam Ouaddou's approach to ‘player freedom' off to slow start after Sekhukhune defeat
Orlando Pirates' new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou's emphasis on player freedom and creativity faced a challenging start with a 1-0 defeat to Sekhukhune United, despite dominating the game with 13 shots and the lion's share of possession. Picture: Itumeleng English/Independent Media Image: Itumeleng English/Independent Media It was certainly not the start to their Betway Premiership campaign Orlando Pirates had envisioned, but new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has insisted the players will be able to play with renewed freedom during their campaign. Pirates finished second to Mamelodi Sundowns last season, as the Brazilians claimed their eighth league title in a row. Though it's difficult to see any SA side challenging Sundowns for the league title in the near future, it's widely believed that Pirates are their closest challengers. That challenge, though, got off to a rough start over the weekend as Pirates fell to a 1-0 defeat to Sekhukhune United. Pirates Dominate Game But Fall Short on Goals It was a particularly bitter result for Pirates as they were completely dominant in every aspect of the game, with the exception that they could not find a goal. Hosts Pirates had 13 shots on goal to the six of Sekhukhune, 67% of the ball and completed 507 passes to the 254 of the visitors at Orlando Stadium. Earlier in the week, Ouaddou spoke about how he wanted his charges to approach the new season. Ouaddou Emphasises Creativity for Talented Players 'I'm a happy coach. When you have such talented players. Of course, you can have a headache at the end of the week to make your starting eleven,' said Ouaddou. 'But yes, I want to give my players - especially these kinds of players, these talented ones - autonomy. I don't want to block them in the way they play. 'Of course, I give them some principles, very important, we don't have to kill the creativity for these kinds of players. As a coach. It is a crime to do that.' The big talking point in the wake of their loss was why last season's top-scorer for Pirates in the league, Tshegofatso Mabasa, was left out of the side. After the game, though, Ouaddou said it was simply a selection call he made as he went for Boitumelo Radiopane to start the match with Yanela Mbuthuma as cover on the bench. @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport
