Africa-Press – South-Africa. Orlando Pirates midfielder Miguel Timm says that he is looking “forward to battling it out” against Sekhukhune United midfielder Kamohelo Mokotjo in Saturday’s Nedbank Cup final at Loftus Versfeld.
Mokotjo has been plying his trade for Sekhukhune since his return to South Africa earlier this year, after more than a decade of playing abroad.
There was once a time when Timm and Mokotjo, now 31 and 32 respectively, donned the same colours during their formative years at the SuperSport United academy.
“I don’t think many of you know, I was at the academy with Kamo at SuperSport,” Timm told reporters at Rand Stadium ahead of the looming final.
“I spent six, seven years with him. I think our understanding of the game is probably similar because of the school we went through. And, yes, I do look forward to battling it out with him.
“We are in communication … he’s one of my friends. When he was overseas, we were in communication, so it’s going to be exciting to play against him.”
The Buccaneers are looking to cap off the 2022/23 campaign with a second major title following their MTN8 triumph earlier in the season in what has already been a remarkable first year at the club for head coach Jose Riveiro.
Pirates also finished as DStv Premiership runners-up, 16-points behind perennial champions Mamelodi Sundowns, to secure a CAF Champions League spot in next season’s edition.
Timm is confident the gap between the Buccaneers and the Brazilians will dissipate sooner rather than later due to the work the club has put in behind the scenes.
“We don’t compare ourselves to them. We’ve set our own foundation, and the more we improve on what we’ve done this season, the closer we will get, and time will tell. I am very confident that the gap will be closed for the work that we’ve done,” Timm said.
“This is just a start. The future is bright for us. We’ve never once compared ourselves to say how far off we are from the log leaders, the champions.
“We’ve always tried to be better than we were previously, correct and fix the way we’ve been playing. The system has been brought in by the technical team, which has seen us as individuals improve and also as a collective.”
Saturday’s kick-off is at 18:00.
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