JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - APRIL 23: Orlando Pirates' Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou with Tapelo Xoki of the Orlando Pirates and Andre de Jong during the Soweto Derby Press Conference at FNB Stadium on April 23, 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
As Orlando Pirates look to do a Soweto derby ‘double’ over their rivals Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium on Sunday, one Bucs player is looking forward to experiencing the derby on the pitch for the first time (kick-off is at 3pm).
Andre de Jong, who joined Orlando Pirates from Stellenbosch FC in January, was a keen spectator on the bench as his new club put Amakhosi to the sword, walloping them 3-0 in the reverse fixture in February.
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Ahead of Sunday’s clash, the New Zealander is hoping that he will get to experience the Soweto derby on the pitch.
“Obviously, my last debut experience, it was incredible to be there. Sitting on the bench that day and seeing the atmosphere around the stadium, and the two sets of supporters. Obviously, a lot of smiles from the Pirates fans that day, it was incredible to be part of. And it’s something that while playing for Royal AM, AmaZulu and Stellies, was sort of a dream of mine to play in a big game like that. Hopefully I can get on the field on Sunday, so I can experience it on the pitch. It’s just an incredible game to be part of and really looking forward to Sunday,” De Jong told reporters during a Soweto derby press conference yesterday afternoon.
De Jong expects thrilling derby
With both teams coming into this clash high on confidence after collecting good results in the games leading to the match, De Jong is expecting a thrilling encounter at the FNB Stadium and is hoping that the Buccaneers will beat Chiefs again to maintain their title challenge.
“Both teams are in good form, so both teams have a bit of confidence going into this game. Obviously, the way the last derby went, it was a great day for the club and we’ll try to emulate that again on Sunday. We’re not taking them lightly at all, because every game in the Betway Premiership is tough. Add the derby atmosphere to that and the ninety thousand people, it’s going to be a big day and a high-pressure situation, but we’ve handled that well this season and hopefully we can do that again,” commented the New Zealand international.
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Meanwhile, Pirates have received a major boost ahead of the derby, with news that midfielder Thalente Ndaba and striker Evidence Makgopa are available for this clash after recovering from their minor knocks. The duo missed the Buccaneers’ 3-0 win over AmaZulu last weekend.
