Derby ‘is not a defining match’
THERE ARE STILL MANY GAMES TO PLAY Pirates have had the upper hand in clashes with Chiefs.
Orlando Pirates coach Micho Sredojevic doesn’t think their tie with Kaizer Chiefs will make or break them in their race for the Absa Premiership title when the two teams meet at the FNB Stadium today.
Maximum points for the Buccaneers will see them keep a close distance between them, second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns and leaders Bidvest Wits. Pirates are on 32 points after 18 games, while Downs are on 34 after 17 games and the Clever Boys top the standings with 37 points from 19 games.
Sredojevic’s charges have been dominating Chiefs, winning their last three meetings, going back all the way to the 3-1 victory last season, before their 2-1 win in the first round of the league this campaign, which was followed by the same scoreline when they knocked them out of the semifinals of the Telkom Knock-out.
However, the former Uganda coach doesn’t want his team to get carried away by the past results.
“There are still too many games to be played, this match will not finish and will not start the dream for us to be league champions.
“With respect to our fans, the badge and the shirt, we will do our best to get a positive result on Saturday,” said the Bucs coach during a press conference earlier this week.
“There is an element of humility and respect towards our opponents and there is also an element of whatever position we are or whatever we have achieved in the past, we cannot afford to be complacent. With that in mind, we have to then erase the memories from last year and focus on the task at hand.”
The Bucs coach added that they have been hard at work this past week and he is confident his players are ready for the game.
“We believe that with work and preparation‚ with the players we have‚ with the spirit we have and the support we are getting from our supporters‚ we have what we need to give all that it takes to dig extremely deep to get the result.”
Bucs’ last league game ended in a 1-1 draw against Baroka, while Chiefs lost 1-0 to Cape Town City.