Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer is looking forward to testing his squad against a ‘quality side such as Mamelodi Sundowns’.

The Buccaneers will take on Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Thursday.

The winner of the clash between Pirates and Sundowns will face Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) in the semi-final fixture scheduled for 18 April.

Pirates will come into this encounter high in confidence after their impressive 3-0 victory over Al Ahli Benghazi in the Caf Confederation Cup this past Sunday.

Meanwhile, Sundowns set a new record with their 20-match unbeaten run since the start of the PSL season following their 2-1 win over Chippa United on Monday.

‘Sundowns are the favourites in this game, they have the best team at this moment in the league and Caf Champions League as well,’ Zinnbauer told the media.

‘We know that we have a good squad and players that can win titles, but we are honest, we come up against a good team.

‘I think they [Sundowns] know exactly what we want, and we know exactly what they want but it is good for us as we can measure ourselves against the top team in the league, a Champions League team,’ he added.

‘They play very well, this is good for our players, we get more experience and also we have a chance to win this game and we are looking toward it. It will also be good for me as a coach to see the reaction of the players facing a quality side such as Sundowns.’

However, Zinnbauer insists that his side will fight Sundowns for a place in the next round of the competition in the hopes of lifting a second piece of silverware this season.

‘We have a chance, and we will fight. We want to go to the next round, the semi-finals – that’s the direction we want to go in this week.

‘I asked the players: “What do you want, you want to go forward? Then you have to win the game”. It is a big game for us,’ concluded Zinnbauer.