Orlando Pirates step off one fixture straight into another as they square off against Spanish outfit Las Palmas at Marbella Football Center on Wednesday night.
The clash against the Spaniards kicks off nearly 24 hours after Tuesday’s intense battle against Al-Ittihad, with the pre-season preparations taken up a notch. The fixture sees the Buccaneers come up against a more familiar foe in Los Amarillos (The Yellows) – a side they have crossed paths with on two occasions on their previous Spanish excursions.
The Segunda División outfit provides a third local assignment for the Soweto Giants shortly after they made the trip from the Canary Island to the southern coast of Spain – a destination that has become an important pre-season stop for both sides in recent years.
Match-Day Focus
Pirates are in the closing week of their ongoing tour, having already taken to the field on three occasions so far. Their most recent outing resulted in their first defeat in this year’s leg when they fell short against Al-Ittihad, whose clinical performance ensured that they walked off with a 3-2 win at the Banus Football Center.
Prior to their testing battle against the two-time Asian champions, the Buccaneers had crossed paths with Spanish opposition, drawing with Córdoba before edging fellow Segunda División outfit Cadiz 2-1 over the weekend.
Their next assignment is against a side that will not be too unfamiliar, having previously been acquainted with them in their previous European tours. They concluded their 2023/24 season preparations against Las Palmas, with the two teams producing a goalless stalemate. There was again no separating them in their 2025 encounter where neither side managed to find the net once more.
Fans of both teams will hope for a bit more to shout about this time around with The Buccaneers looking to get back to winning ways as they provide the first on-field test for Los Amarillos.
While their opponents have long settled at the high-performance training complex that’s been a home away from home in recent seasons, Las Palmas have only arrived earlier in their week. Their clash against Pirates is their first training match in the current pre-season as they prepare to relaunch their quest for promotion back in La Liga after dropping out of contention at the final hurdle during their previous campaign.
Opposition Snapshot
Las Palmas are looking to secure promotion to La Liga after falling just short, despite making it to the play-offs through a fifth place finish last season. They areno stranger to the top flight, having spent 36 seasons in the elite tier of Spanish football – more than they have in any other division since starting out in the fourth tier when they first entered the football landscape in 1949.
The men from the Canary Islands last made the ascent into the prestigious league ahead of the 2023/24 season, and they narrowly escaped an immediate drop when they finished in 16th place. There was no such luck in their next campaign, as they finished 19th to return to the second division.
Their standing today bears very little resemblance to the side that has enjoyed extended stays in La Liga, once finishing as high as second place and qualifying for European interclub competition in 1969. Las Palmas reached those lofty heights amid their longest uninterrupted spell as a top flight team, going on to spend 19 seasons at the top between 1964 and 1983.
During this period, they finished in the top half of the table on six occasions and also achieved their best finish in the Copa del Rey when they emerged as runners-up after losing to Barcelona in the 1978 final. The years since then have been characterised by brief stays among the elite along with the odd extended cup run.
In an attempt to change their fortunes, they have roped in former Real Sociedad assistant coach Rubén de la Barrera, who will be in their dugout for the first time when they square off against Pirates. Recent departures include that of Spanish youth international Mika Mármol who secured a move to Dutch giants Feyernoord, while Cameroonian striker Ivan Cédric made his move to Turkish outfit Van Spor a permanent one after netting 15 league goals on loan in the 2025/26 campaign.
Most of the club’s new arrivals are players that are either returning from loan or promoted from the Academy, but there are some fresh recruits in the form of Japanese international Taisei Miyashiro and experienced midfielder Sergio Ruiz, who have been brought in from Vissel Kobe and Granada respectively.
Match Coverage
The Friendly match between Orlando Pirates and UD Las Palmas is scheduled to kick off at 18:00, with a live broadcast on SuperSport Variety 4 (209) and Pirates TV on YouTube. Live updates will be posted across Orlando Pirates’ official social media platforms.
