It never gets easier for Bucs
CAF duty calls Pirates face Esperance behind closed doors
Orlando Pirates coach Micho Sredojevic says his players still have a lot of fight in them despite their gruelling schedule. Straight from their 1-1 draw against rivals Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium at the weekend, the Buccaneers travelled to Dubai to catch a connecting flight to Tunisia where they face Esperance at Stade Olympique Rades tomorrow (3pm SA time). Thembinkosi Lorch rescued a point for Sredojevic’s charges against Chiefs after Daniel Cardoso had given them a lead from the penalty spot.
The Serbian is backing his team to return with a good result against Esperance, last year’s Champions League winners.
“I believe in what we are doing and I believe in the players we have. I can assure you that we are going to squeeze the last drop out of our players and to get the best performance,” Sredojevic said.
Pirates top Group B with five points and ahead of Esperance on goal difference after three matches.
A win up north will almost guarantee their passage into the quarterfinals of Africa’s premium club competition. Tomorrow’s match will be played behind closed doors, perhaps handing Pirates a slight advantage in what is supposed to be their toughest match away in the group. When the two sides met at Orlando Stadium a week ago, they played to a goalless draw. Pirates, meanwhile, are losing ground in the league race in the Absa Premiership. The draw against Chiefs was their ninth of the season. They have dropped 18 points from the draws. Sredojevic insisted that Pirates are still in the race. “There are still too many games to be played,” he said.
After their Soweto derby performance, Kaizer Chiefs will feel that the team has made progress in the two months that Ernst Middendorp has been in charge, following years of humiliation at the hands of Orlando Pirates. Middendorp has injected a good dose of tactical audacity and the unconventional that has turned the team into an unpredictable bunch. On Saturday, the Glamour Boys had some dominant phases in the 1-1 draw where they eventually relinquished their lead.
The 60-year-old boss continued to demonstrate boldness in his team selection after benching Willard Katsande and having George Maluleka as the midfield anchor, while handing Daniel Akpeyi his debut in the big match.
“I don’t think there is a contract that guarantees that a certain player will start,” Middendorp said about starting Katsande on the bench. “Against AmaZulu we had Billiat on the bench. I always say some players are equal, but some players are more equal. There is no guarantee for anybody.”
Bucs winger Thembinkosi Lorch grabbed the equaliser in the 80th minute after a Daniel Cardoso penalty had put Chiefs ahead in the 53rd minute.
On his team failing to hold on to their lead, the former Maritzburg United coach said: “Of course I expressed my disappointment but not about the performance but more about the outcome. I would not be right if I wasn’t a little disappointed.”
With the error-prone Virgil Vries relegated to the stands, Akpeyi is the new regular stopper in the absence of Itumeleng Khune.
“He [Akpeyi] handled it very well,” Middendorp said. “We got confirmation that we made the right decision to bring him in.”