Orlando Pirates defender, Happy Jele, says Bucs learnt their lesson in the shock loss to Maluti FET College and won’t make the same mistake of underestimating Thanda Royal Zulu when the two teams meet in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 clash on Saturday.
The Buccaneers suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat at the hands of Maluti, who were campaigning in the Vodacom League last season and Jele says the Pirates players will do everything in their power not to lose to Thanda in this game.
“The Maluti loss taught us not underestimates any opponents in this competition. We learnt our lesson and we won’t make the same mistake that we made last season. But that Maluti loss is water under the bridge now and we’re focusing on doing well in this season’s competition,” Jele told the Siya crew.
“We have to go out there and try to get a win over Thanda. Obviously, they are an NFD team and they’ll be looking to cause an upset by beating us, so we need to respect them. But having said that, we need to try and beat them and progress to the next round of the Nedbank Cup,” added Jele.
Pirates will meet Thanda at Umhlathuze Sports Complex on Saturday at 14h30.