Orlando Pirates captain Oupa Manyisa says he is hoping to win the Nedbank Cup so that they can play in the Caf Confederations Cup again.

The Soweto giants have endured a nightmare season which culminated in their worst-ever finish in the league, a lowly eleventh position and the first time that Pirates have finished outside the top eight.

Manyisa, who has bared the brunt of harsh criticism from the Pirates faithful, is hoping that clinching the Nedbank Cup can be the silver lining to the season that proved to be a dark cloud.

‘With everything that has happened in our season, the Nedbank Cup will give us an opportunity to play in CAF competition once more,’ Manyisa said at a press-conference.

‘It means a lot to the fans when we win, but this one will mean even more for everyone because of the season we had,’ he added.

Ace, as the player is affectionately known, also alluded to the fact that Kjell Jonevret’s side have not competed in a competitive encounter in a month, while SuperSport played to a goalless stalemate against Congolese giants TP Mazembe a few days ago.

‘Sure, we haven’t played for a month but the focus is still there.

‘We have been working and we want to do well.’

‘We know what we have to do on Saturday. Now it’s about working hard and getting it done,’ he concluded.

The two sides face off in the final of the Nedbank Cup on Saturday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium with kick-off scheduled for 19:30.

Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/Backpagepix