Johannesburg - Orlando Pirates’ newest arrival Makhehlene Makhaula has revealed his emotional state ahead of his first-ever Soweto derby this weekend.
The Buccaneers are hard at work as they prepare for their 177th meeting against arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs, set to take place at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
The 33-year-old who recently captained AmaZulu in their first Cup final in 13 years has admitted he is fighting off anxiety, but is raring to go if called upon in front of what is expected to be a capacity crowd in Saturday.
“I’m obviously a bit nervous because I’ve never played in front of 98 000 people but I’m looking forward to it, and I’m working each and every day at training and it will be up to the coach to select me because I’m always looking to raise my hand whenever I get the opportunity,” Makhaula said.
Makhaula also revealed how he has taken to life in the colours of Pirates as he continues his attempts to break into the starting 11 of Jose Riveiro’s team.
The Mohlakeng-born hardman said he hadn't found himself in unfamiliar territory in having to prove his worth before cementing a place in the starting team, as he went through the same at his previous club.
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“I think for me it’s normal because even at AmaZulu, I didn’t go straight into the lineup, I needed to raise my hand, so at training I’m always raising my hand here at Pirates and the coach is more than capable of seeing if I'm ready to start or not,” he said.
The former Free State Stars player has been added to an already-stacked Pirates midfield consisting of Miguel Timm, Thabang Monare, Goodman Mosele, Ben Motswari and Fortune Makaringe.
However, he believes that having such quality in competition can only bode well for the team's progress as they continue to motivate and support each other regardless of who gets the nod.
“I think the competition is healthy and anyone who gets any opportunity to start we support them, and we also help each other when we make mistakes during the game so for us, the competition is a good thing,” Makhaula said.
IOL Sport