Thalente Mbatha gunning for Nedbank Cup title with Orlando Pirates

Mbatha was speaking to the media at Orlando Stadium ahead of the highly anticipated Nedbank Cup final against dominant DStv Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns. The 24-year-old is on loan from SuperSport United with an option for a permanent move, but the first priority for him has been to help Bucs win some silverware.

"In all honesty, I think I've been building towards my game but I wouldn't say it's enough for the team because we need to get cup finals. We need to win awards, we are competing for the league. So, I feel like we should do more as a team and as myself, I should also do more so I can help the team into getting more awards and competing for the league," Mbatha said.

Mbatha has reiterated that making the Pirates move permanent would be a dream come true for a young player who hails from KwaMashu and grew up as a Bucs fan.

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He says winning a cup final against a strong team like Sundowns would be a cherry on top.

"I could say that it's gonna be a dream come true as I said earlier on when I had an interview with you guys. So, playing the cup final is something big for me, for my family, for the fans and everything. It's something that I've been wishing for ever since I got into this team,” he added.

“So, I think it's me living a dream that I had when I was young. Playing the cup final makes everyone nervous because we are playing a team that's also been to cup finals, they have an experience of how the pressure is and everything. So, I think if we prepare ourselves well and play our game, we'll be able to get the result and win the cup final."

Since his arrival at Pirates at the beginning of the year, Mbatha has played a total of 15 matches in all competitions, scoring a goal and providing two assists.