Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker has labeled this a special week as the club prepares for a highly-anticipated MTN8 final encounter against Orlando Pirates.

For the second consecutive season, Stellenbosch FC has reached the final of the MTN8 and will travel to Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit this weekend to take on Orlando Pirates in a repeat of last season’s showpiece fixture.

Read | Mbombela Stadium to host MTN8 final between Stellies & Pirates

Ahead of the encounter, Stellies head coach Steve Barker addressed the media at the club’s open day on Tuesday and revealed that the excitement in camp was high among both the players and staff.

“We’re very excited and highly motivated as a club, the technical staff, support staff, and the players,” Barker said. “It’s not every season that you get into a final, so when you do, you have to take the opportunity.

“Getting into the MTN8 final is not easy. It starts the season before by getting yourself into the top eight in the league, which we did, and then we got past AmaZulu [in the quarter-finals] and a very good Sekhukhune United team to get ourselves into the final.

Read | Stellenbosch FC home & away kits now available in store

“We deserve to be here and have earned the right to be in the final, but it’s up to us now to make the most of this opportunity that has presented itself.

“There’s a lot of anticipation, excitement, and energy among the players. A cup final week is always a special week, and it is something that players, coaches, and clubs want to be involved in, competing to win trophies at the highest level.

“Winning trophies is part of any footballer’s dream, and hopefully we can make that come true. It’s 30 years since I won the BP Top 8 as a player, and hopefully I can now win it as the MTN8 as a coach as well.”

Watch the full pre-match interview with Steve Barker on YouTube by clicking the link below

The MTN8 final between Stellenbsoch FC and Orlando Pirates is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 13 September 2025 at Mbombela Stadium. Tickets for the encounter have been sold out but the fixture will be broadcast on both SuperSport PSL and SABC Sport.

Stellies route to the final saw the club overcome AmaZulu in the quarter-finals, in a tie that went all the way to extra-time, before claiming a 3-1 aggregate victory over Sekhukhune United in the last four.

Read | Stellies quartet in SA prelim squad for U-20 World Cup

Saturday’s encounter will be the club’s third final in as many years, with Stellies having won the 2023 Carling Knockout before falling agonizingly short against Pirates in last year’s MTN8 final.