Orlando Pirates midfielder Fortune Makaringe has hinted at taking over the captaincy role in the absence of suspended skipper Happy Jele.

The Buccaneers are set to take on their fiercest rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the latest instalment of the Soweto derby at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Pirates will be hoping to bounce back and redeem themselves after suffering a 4-2 defeat by Amakhosi in the Telkom Knockout Cup last weekend.

However, Pirates will be without their skipper, Happy Jele, who is serving a two-game suspension after picking up a red card against Maritzburg United, but Makaringe insists that they have enough quality and experience within the squad to fill the captaincy role.

‘Happy is a very integral part of our team, but we know we have a lot of players that can do the job for the team,’ Makaringe told the media.

‘So, we have depth in the team, and everyone has been doing well and training well, so someone else is going to come in and fill that hole for the Orlando Pirates family.’

Orlando Pirates against Kaizer Chiefs kicks off at 3:30pm.