Pirates brace for Carling Knockout opener

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou anticipates Milford to be a tough nut to crack when the two sides collide in the first round of the Carling Knockout at Orlando Amstel Arena on Tuesday (7pm).

They have shown resilience... they have a lot of confidence. They are a well-coached team, very disciplined and well-organised. They can run as well, so it will not be an easy game.

—  Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou

Pirates, who are the Carling Knockout defending champions, have already beaten Milford this season, recording a 2-0 win at home in the first game of the campaign back in August.

“The advantage, the positive point is to play at home but I think it will be a difficult game. If you remember when we played Milford in the first game of the season, I said that we are not going to see many teams beat them,” Ouaddou said.

“They have shown resilience... they have a lot of confidence. They are a well-coached team, very disciplined and well-organised. They can run as well, so it will not be an easy game.”

Going into this fixture, Pirates ooze confidence after qualifying for the CAF Champions League group stages, beating Namibian side Africa Stars 4-0 in the second leg of the preliminary round at Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday. Bucs won the away leg 1-0 the previous Saturday in Botswana.

Pirates failed to advance to the group stages of the Champions League after they were eliminated by Congolese side FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo in the second preliminary phase in October last year.

“I love to say a Champions League without Pirates, it’s not the same taste. So we come back, happy for the fans, happy for the club. It was one of the targets. Credit has to be given to the boys,” the Sea Robbers mentor said.

“We know that we had a difficult first half. Even though we two goals, in terms of control, it was not what I was expecting, and after the second half it was much, much better in terms of control.”

After the Carling Knockout fixture against Milford, Bucs face their biggest rivals, Kaizer Chiefs, in the league at a sold-out FNB Stadium on Saturday (3.30pm).

Sowetan