Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro said they would still be under pressure to dispatch Sekhukhune United in the MTN8 quarterfinals even if they weren’t the cup’s defending champions.
Pirates and Sekhukhune lock horns at Orlando Stadium tomorrow (6pm). “Do you think that if we were not the defending champions this was going to be a friendly for us? It’s the same,” Riveiro said during the competition’s media launch at SuperSport Studios in Randburg yesterday.
“Every time we go onto the field we carry the history of the club and the expectations of our fans, so for us it’s a must to go into every game with the intention to win... maybe that’s what you call pressure in this case but it’s a positive pressure because we are representing a big club. It is in us that we are competitive and we want to go through.”
Riveiro implied they would deploy an offensive approach from the word go, acknowledging Babina Noko’s flexibility in dealing with opponents. This clash is a repeat of last season’s Nedbank Cup final, where the Sea Robbers emerged as the 2-1 victors.
“The expectations are high. It’s a knockout game, so that influences the behaviour of the teams because you know that it’s either you go forward or you go home,” the Pirates tactician noted.
“Sekhukhune are a well-organised team...they can manage different ways of playing during the game. It’s very uncomfortable to play against them, we know it and it’s not going to be an exception on Saturday, but we are prepared.”
Riveiro also dropped a hint that some of his key players, who missed the side’s two opening league games against Stellenbosch and Royal AM, due to minor injuries, could feature against Sekhukhune tomorrow.
Miguel Timm and Kermit Erasmus headline the list of players who were sidelined by mild injuries when the Buccaneers battled it out against Stellies and Thwihli Thwahla.
“In every department we have a lot of quality players. Almost everybody is ready to play [with] some players coming back from small injuries. The competition within the squad is one of our advantages and so far I am happy with all of my players,” Riveiro said.
‘Sekhukhune can manage different ways of playing during the game’
We go into all our games with the intention of winning, says Riveiro
Image: Veli Nhlapo
Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro said they would still be under pressure to dispatch Sekhukhune United in the MTN8 quarterfinals even if they weren’t the cup’s defending champions.
Pirates and Sekhukhune lock horns at Orlando Stadium tomorrow (6pm). “Do you think that if we were not the defending champions this was going to be a friendly for us? It’s the same,” Riveiro said during the competition’s media launch at SuperSport Studios in Randburg yesterday.
“Every time we go onto the field we carry the history of the club and the expectations of our fans, so for us it’s a must to go into every game with the intention to win... maybe that’s what you call pressure in this case but it’s a positive pressure because we are representing a big club. It is in us that we are competitive and we want to go through.”
Riveiro implied they would deploy an offensive approach from the word go, acknowledging Babina Noko’s flexibility in dealing with opponents. This clash is a repeat of last season’s Nedbank Cup final, where the Sea Robbers emerged as the 2-1 victors.
“The expectations are high. It’s a knockout game, so that influences the behaviour of the teams because you know that it’s either you go forward or you go home,” the Pirates tactician noted.
“Sekhukhune are a well-organised team...they can manage different ways of playing during the game. It’s very uncomfortable to play against them, we know it and it’s not going to be an exception on Saturday, but we are prepared.”
Riveiro also dropped a hint that some of his key players, who missed the side’s two opening league games against Stellenbosch and Royal AM, due to minor injuries, could feature against Sekhukhune tomorrow.
Miguel Timm and Kermit Erasmus headline the list of players who were sidelined by mild injuries when the Buccaneers battled it out against Stellies and Thwihli Thwahla.
“In every department we have a lot of quality players. Almost everybody is ready to play [with] some players coming back from small injuries. The competition within the squad is one of our advantages and so far I am happy with all of my players,” Riveiro said.
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