Amakhosi claimed a narrow 1-0 victory the last time these two sides faced each other, with Yusuf Maart scoring the only goal after 74 minutes at the FNB Stadium.

But while Arthur Zwane's side head into this tie in fifth place with 28 points, the Buccaneers are in third with 31 points - meaning nothing less than a win will do for the 'home' team - especially after their 3-2 loss to Golden Arrows last time out.

Pirates, meanwhile, claimed a 2-1 win over Martizburg United in their last encounter.

Speaking ahead of the game, Zwane told his club's website: "There's a lot at stake. Apart from the three points everyone knows what it means just to be part of the Derby.

"We are gunning for the win. As someone who has played in Derbies, I conveyed to the players to ignore the noise happening around them and just focus on the game plan and the game itself, because if you focus on the noise now by the time the game comes, you are already tired before it starts.

"So, as a coach, I am trying to make sure the players stay away from what is happening off the field and concentrate on the game in the hope that we can grind out the result."

Zwane added: "Orlando Pirates are a quality side, especially going forward. They have very dynamic players and you can see they have been together for some time. It is good for South African football and for the country to see them performing well because we want to test ourselves against the best in the country.

"Obviously, we have plans but we™re not going to talk about them here. At the end of the day, it will boil down to who produces the quality on the day."

Pirates coach Jose Riveiro won't be on the bench after picking up a red card in the Nedbank Cup again All Stars.

Assistant coaches Mandla Ncikazi and Sergio Almenara lead the team.

Riveiro said in the Sowetan: "Unfortunately, I will not be on the bench where I'm supposed to be, but it's not a big problem for the players that I'll not be on the bench because I have a fantastic, super staff behind me.

"The players are used to working with all our coaches at the same level as they work with me. Sometimes our influence from the bench as coaches is not important but the players are the most important people in football games."

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