Control the keyword in Bucs camp ahead of crucial Soweto Derby

The two giants clash in an unusual Sunday fixture, due to the match venue’s unavailability on Saturday, but there will be nothing unusual about the atmosphere or the pressure on both teams.  

For Pirates, the result has a direct impact on their Betway Premiership title race with Mamelodi Sundowns, and Ncikazi says the best approach is control. 

"Control is important for us – if you play such matches, you have to focus on the details, being incisive in our attack, control the transitions, and we have to be highly clinical in front of goals," said Ncikazi.

"We know where we have not been doing as well, and we're just focussing on that, perfecting it for this match will give us the outcome, there's no history or form in such matches, it's what you do on the day, and that's what we are preparing to do."

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Sundowns will meet Stellenbosch FC tomorrow, with Pirates currently top of the log – two points ahead of the Brazilians, who have two games in hand, and Ncikazi has shared their approach to handling the title race talk within the dressing room. 

"What works for our team is that we are a process driven club with strategic planning, so where we are is not by coincidence, it's a plan that is ongoing," he added.

"So when it happens now, it's not because everybody gets shocked – that's the message from our team that, are you in line with what was planned from the beginning of the season?

"If we fall short, we will work on the strategy – how do we get back onto the same path, so for me, it helps because you just measure whether you are on the same spot you are requested to be or are you on the right track of the strategic plan from five years ago."