Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro says they’ll have to start on the ‘front foot’ to get past Disciples FC (CNaPS Sport) in the second leg of the CAF Champions League’s preliminary round.
Pirates will host the Madagascar outfit tonight (7.30pm start) at Orlando Stadium on the back of a 0-0 draw in the first leg at a neutral venue in Mauritius last week.
Pirates returned home with a clean sheet, which is an advantage, but the Sea Robbers were blunt in front of goal, with individual errors in the final third their main shortcomings.
If they get past Disciples tonight they’ll meet Jwaneng Galaxy or African Stars in the second round.
Speaking during the team’s pre-match press conference in Orlando yesterday, Riveiro painted a picture of what they need to do to win.
“I wish we could start on the front foot, not only tomorrow, but in each game. It’s about finding our rhythm as soon as possible,” he said.
“We need to have a good start. We need to play close to our best performance, one more time. Starting well is going to be key, but we also need to respect our opponents.”
Riveiro knows all about being at his best in knockout matches, having won four cup competitions out of five since his arrival at the club two seasons ago.
“It’s another knockout game, the second leg. We are starting at 0-0, and we have the responsibility of making sure that we are in the next round,” the Spaniard added.
“We know that it won’t be a walk in the park. They are willing to run, defend, and do everything to stay alive. It won’t be an easy game for both sides.”
While this game will be a ‘knockout clash’, Riveiro hasn’t had the best run in continental football during his tenure at the club. Last season Pirates were bundled out of the competition by Galaxy in the second round of the preliminaries on penalties, owing to their failure to be clinical up front.
Riveiro views their past shortcomings as lessons that they need to take to make their mark in continental football.
“It’s a difficult competition (the Champions League) – that the players and I know – more than the PSL,” Riveiro explained.
“Resistance, resilience and capacity to go through the obstacles in this competition become the most important factors … I don’t think our league is far from the other leagues.”
☠️ Final Preparations ☠️ #CAFChampionsLeague MD1
— Orlando Pirates (@orlandopirates) August 22, 2024
🎤Assistant Coach| Mandla Ncikazi
“Its clear to everybody how important it is to win tomorrow”
🆚 Disciples FC
🗓️ 23 August 2024
🏟️ Orlando Stadium
🕓 19H30
📺 SABC Sport
📱 Stream : SABC+
🌐 https://t.co/q1DfYKwQLP
⚫⚪🔴⭐… pic.twitter.com/wh5bZ7q3ec
All the Pirates players have to embody those coping mechanisms if the team are to emulate the winning class of 1995.
So far Riveiro has stuck to his tried and tested troops, domestically and continentally, with none of the new players making their debuts.
Angolan Deivi Miguel Vieira, fondly known as Gilberto, was Pirates’ marquee signing.
As such, he’s been heavily tipped to help the team in Africa, given his Champions League experience with his native side Petro de Luanda. So why is he and other newcomers such as Deano van Rooyen, Selaelo Rasebotja and Thuso Moleleki yet to play?
“Obviously, there’s a reason why we play some players, and not others,” Riveiro replied. “But I don’t see the players like new ones, and old ones.
“We are just trying to go to the games and play as good as we can with the resources and players that we have. But I am not differentiating between the players we have had recently and one year ago. We are all part of the same team. We have a big squad.”