Records show that Mamelodi Sundowns have been dominant against Orlando Pirates in recent matches between these two giants of South African football, who will clash in Saturday's MTN8 final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
In their four most recent clashes, Sundowns enjoyed outright dominance with an uninterrupted winning sequence and collectively scoring eight goals while coming away with four clean sheets.
In their two DStv Premiership meets this year (September and February) Sundowns won with 1-0 margins. Late last year they met in the Premiership (December) and the Black Label Final (November) and Sundowns won 2-0 and 4-0 respectively.
The staggering statistic is that Sundowns have four consecutive clean sheets against Pirates.
Little in the way of MTN8 final history
Sundowns and Pirates have only met once in the MTN8 final and that was in 2007 when Brent Carelse's goal handed Sundowns a 1-0 win at Loftus Versfeld.
Over the years, there have been some memorable showdowns between Sundowns and Pirates which were keenly contested but ended in one-sided contests.
In February 2017, Sundowns walloped Pirates 6-0 in a Premiership match after scoring four goals in the second half. This still ranks as Pirates’ heaviest-ever defeat against Sundowns.
In February 2005, the teams clashed at Johannesburg Stadium at a time when Pirates were the Premiership log leaders. Sundowns treated them with scant respect and ran out 4-0 winners.
In 1986 when neither team were league contenders, Sundowns hammered Pirates 4-0. That season Pirates finished 13th in the 18-team league. One of Sundown’s goals was scored by Pitso Mosimane, who later became the club's most celebrated coach.
The Pirates diehards will have fond memories of the Moses Mabhida Stadium, which hosted the first MTN8 final in 2010, a month after the completion of the FIFA World Cup. Pirates emerged 4-2 winners in the eventual penalty shoot-out, which was required after a 1-all stalemate after extra time against Moroka Swallows.
Many of the Pirates fans who attended last year's final at Moses Mabhida Stadium will be there again on Saturday. They will have fond memories of their team's 1-0 win after Pirates talisman winger Monnapule Saleng landed a stunning free-kick, from a tight angle, in the back of AmaZulu nets midway through the first half.
This match-winning goal helped Saleng to win the coveted 'MTN8' Last Man Standing award at the end of last season.
The Pirates supporters celebrated long into the night and 'The Ghost' will be praying for more of the same on Saturday, so that Bucs deliver back-to-back titles.
IOL Sport