Pirates have to sharpen their minds for Libya clash

If Orlando Pirates want to realise their dream of lifting the Caf Confederation Cup, then it could be vital for them to get a positive result at Al-Ahli Tripoli in Libya tomorrow, in the first leg of their Caf Confederation Cup semifinal.

Every successful coach in continental football has spoken about the importance of doing well away from home, in order to do the job in the second-leg with less pressure when you play at home.

Pirates will have to dig deep and stay resolute when they visit the Libyan outfit, who are known to be ruthless at home –Al-Ahli won all of their group stage matches that they hosted this campaign, and their home quarterfinal tie.

The Tripoli-based team are also one of the big teams in Libya with a huge support base, and Bucs are expected to face a capacity crowd at the Martyrs of February Stadium.

This won’t be a first for the South Africans, having faced a massive, hostile crowd in Tanzania when they took on Simba SC in the first-leg of the quarterfinals at Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium.

Even though Pirates lost that match 1-0, they still looked like the better side and they could have easily won it.

The same mentality co-coaches Fadlu Davids and Mandla Ncikazi instilled in the players should be utilised once again for this tie, as they managed to win 1-0 at home and went on to win the tie 4-3 on penalties.

Going into this match might be tricky for Pirates, with the club having put up some poor performances in the DStv Premiership.

Bucs have not been able to score in their last two domestic league games, which should be a big worry for the technical team going into this daunting clash.

Ironically, Pirates were actually the big scorers in the group stages after finding the back of the net 15 times – Bandile Shandu managed to score four goals in nine appearances.

But strikers Kwame Peprah (below), Zakhele Lepasa, Tshegofatso Mabasa or whoever is used up-front, need to step up, and show their prowess in front of goals, with everyone needing to be at their best.