Do games in hand benefit Orlando Pirates more than points in the bank?

Orlando Pirates’ win over Mamelodi Sundowns over the weekend couldn’t have come at a better time, but are the odds still firmly in favour of the Brazilians?

The short answer is yes, but it’s a little more complicated than that.

With the victory, Pirates closed the gap on Betway Premiership table-topping Sundowns to 15 points. The Buccaneers, though, have four games in hand over Sundowns, who have played 23 matches.

If Pirates were to win all their games in hand, it would leave them within three points of the Brazilians.

The odds, though, are still heavily weighted in favour of Sundowns, who are hunting their eighth league title in a row.

Pirates, however, will not play again this month as their next clash is a Caf Champions League quarter-final first-leg match against MC Alger on April 1. Their next league clash is on April 6 away against Polokwane City on April 5.

Pirates then have just two other league fixtures scheduled for the rest of April, in addition to the second-leg against MC Alger.

It’s always a matter of hot debate whether or not games in hand are a good thing in football, and Orlando Pirates may have the work cut out to simply keep pace with Sundowns.

But here’s the thing, Sundowns have already endured a heavy month of packed fixtures in February.

Sundowns played no fewer than eight matches last month.

Those February fixtures were made up of seven league matches and one Nedbank Cup game. In April, Sundowns will also be back in action in the Caf Champions League in a two-leg quarter-final against ES Tunis over the space of a week.

For comparison, Pirates played five games in February as two of their fixtures were postponed. The Soweto Giants, though, are still currently involved in the Nedbank Cup and the Caf Champions League and will need to make up their other league fixtures before the season ends.

It means then that for Pirates, those games in hand are definitely not more valuable than wins in the bank.

@Michael_Sherman