Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has reiterated the need to do well in all competitions when the reigning MTN8 champions take on Cape Town Spurs in the Carling Knockout Cup on Friday night.
Kick-off is at 7:30pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)
The Urban Warriors' form heading into the international break has been one of the biggest talking points in local football recently as they remain winless in the 2023/24 DStv Premiership campaign.
Spurs’ 2-1 loss to SuperSport United in their most recent league game meant that the Mother City outfit suffered eight DStv Premiership defeats in succession, an unprecedented horror run in PSL football.
Amid their poor start to the season, the Urban Warriors parted ways with former coach Shaun Bartlett earlier this month.
With the club yet to announce a new head coach, Spurs appointed Sean Connor as their new Technical Director, while Vasili Manousakis was roped in as an assistant coach.
Reflecting on the upcoming tie, Manousakis mentioned that the players have been working hard to turn their season around and will also look to do well in Cup competitions.
“We are working very hard knowing very well our situation (poor results in the league),” Manousakis said.
“The important thing is to make sure that we get things right in the league and also to do well in cup competitions. We know the kind of game we will be facing against Pirates, especially at their home. So, we are just going out there to make sure that we give our best.”
As one of the busiest teams in the land, Pirates go into the new Carling Knockout Cup as freshly crowned MTN8 champions.
Riveiro and company faced a star-studded Mamelodi Sundowns in the much talked about Cup final and eventually came out on tops in a 3-1 penalty shootout win at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on 7 October.
Now conditioned to playing in various tournaments, Riveiro mentioned that his side has prepared well for the upcoming tie and that they will present the best version of themselves against the Urban Warriors.
“Its our fourth competition in the space of two-and-a-half months, so its with the same intention to go in every competition until the end,” Riveiro said.
“Step by step, little by little, starting on Friday against Cape Town Spurs. It’s complicated as usual, a difficult one, we have to give our best version one more time.
“Coming from two weeks of good preparation due to the Fifa break, we are going to be in a good space on Friday again.”
☠️ 🍻 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 🍻
— Orlando Pirates (@orlandopirates) October 18, 2023
🏆 #CarlingKnockout Round of 16
⚽️ @orlandopirates vs @CapeTownSpursFC
📆 Friday, 20 October 2023
🏟 Orlando Stadium
🕢 19h30
🎫 @TicketProSA 👉🏿 https://t.co/AABCsR0BX7
⚫️⚪️🔴⭐️#OrlandoPirates#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/BuJPV7WxcT
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Orlando Pirates:
Kermit Erasmus: Despite limited playing time this season, Riveiro gave Erasmus a starting position in the recently played MTN8 final. With some time to shuffle his squad, the Spaniard could once again turn to the experienced forward against Spurs, especially with Zakhele Lepasa suffering a knee injury while on international duty.
Cape Town Spurs:
Therlo Moosa: The hard-working striker got his name on the scoresheet in Spurs’ most recent league encounter, and will no doubt look to do the same should he be called upon in the tie against the Bucs. Moosa showcased his aerial threat in the defeat against SuperSport United and will be a handy tool at set-piece situations.