The two sides meet at Loftus Stadium on Saturday afternoon in a crucial Betway Premiership clash – just over two months after the Buccaneers knocked Sundowns out of the MTN8 and eventually winning the cup.

Modiba says it’s no surprise their recent encounters have all sold out, given what’s at stake every time the teams face off.

"I think with Pirates, if you can check I think the last few seasons, this is a team that has been pushing us especially in the league towards the end. So, I think that gives us extra motivation playing against them, any other teams as well but with Pirates I think it's because of that. In the national team as well, we have more or less the same number of players," Modiba said.

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Modiba believes a win over their Soweto rivals would carry extra weight come the end of the season.

"Yeah, we always talk about these games and we don't wanna probably lose to them going into the national team because you know, the banter is gonna be something else as players,” he added.

“So, I think because they've been doing well in the league, pushing us to the limit and obviously taking away three points from them helps us towards the end to have an edge over them in clinching the league."

Modiba also touched in the impact of not having a key player like Teboho Mokoena available through suspension.

"Tebza is very important for our team, we know what he offers in the team. We've got other players that can help us in the games because we've got quality in the players but obviously Teboho is very important for us and we're gonna miss him in this game. Hopefully, we win it for him as well."

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