Bucs head for Botswana with a distinct advantage

Orlando Pirates certainly have the advantage of form and fitness as they prepare to face Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy tomorrow at the Botswana National Stadium in the first leg of their Caf Confederation Cup play-off.

The victor in this encounter will qualify for the group stages and Jwaneng haven’t kicked a ball in anger since they were knocked out by Mamelodi Sundowns last December in the final qualifying round for the Caf Champions League group stages, a defeat which dropped them into the second-tier continental competition.

With their domestic league remaining suspended, Jwaneng have been relying on friendly games to prepare for their encounter with the Buccaneers.

Pirates, on the other hand, head into this match with their domestic season in full flow, and having won three of their last four games in all competitions, so confidence in the camp should be high.

Bucs midfielder Ben Motshwari (below) expects a tricky game in Botswana but is hopeful his side can keep a clean sheet, at the very least.

“The preparations went well, especially with our 2-0 victory agaisnt Cape Town City, the confidence is high amongst the guys. We are still going away... it’s going to be tough, but we saw them when they played Mamelodi Sundowns. What’s important for us going into this match is to keep a clean sheet and wrap it up when we play at home,” said the midfielder.

“Playing away is always difficult, because you might find that the pitch is not right, and the atmosphere and we are not familiar with it. Our main focus will be to keep a clean sheet, but we will also try and bank some away goals,” he added.

The Pirates midfield maestro said they had learnt what kind of a team their opponents are.

“When we saw them against Sundowns we saw that they are a ‘possession’ team. But we don’t want to focus on them, we have to keep focusing on ourselves.”