Orlando Pirates will renew rivalries with Baroka in the second round of the Nedbank Cup. It will be the defending champions’ first home game of the current edition of the competition, following their triumph on the road over the weekend.

Having made it past an entertaining opening round, the two sides discovered their fate in Wednesday night’s Round of 16 draw. Their names were some of the first to emerge from the draw, setting up their first competitive fixture in almost three years.

The game will see the prestigious competition returning to Orlando Stadium for the first time since the Buccaneers hosted Baroka’s ABC Motsepe Championship rivals Hungry Lions at a similar stage on their way to picking up their 10th title. They kicked off their current title defence with a trip to Durban, where they defeated fellow Premiership outfit Richards Bay 3-1 on Sunday.

Their next opponents achieved a similar feat away from home, going past third-tier outfit Umvoti with a convincing 3-0 scoreline in their Round of 32 encounter. Bakgakga now face a difficult proposition in the Soweto Giants, who are looking to lift the iconic piece of silverware for the third time in a row. The Limpopo outfit will nevertheless draw some encouragement from the outcome of the only previous cup meeting between the two sides, where they triumphed on penalties to win a dramatic League Cup final in 2018.

Despite that particular result, Pirates remain the only side to emerge victorious in 90 minutes as they boast three victories, while the 10 draws between the two sides indicate that their dominance hasn’t been all too straightforward. 

The rivalry is set to be re-ignited Es’godini, with dates and kick-off times set to be announced at a later stage.