Despite announcing his imminent departure at the crucial stage of the season, Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro says his side is solely focused on getting the job done against MC Alger.
The Buccaneers will host the Algerian giants for their CAF Champions League quarterfinal second leg encounter at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Pirates are in the driving seat of the tie with an away goal following their big 1-0 win in Algeria last Tuesday. The win was courtesy of Mohau Nkota’s goal that has put the Algerians on the back foot.
Home ground advantage
Speaking to the media during a briefing at the Orlando Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, the outgoing Bucs coach emphasised the importance of utilising their home ground advantage and going for another win over Alger.
“We are heading to the second half of this quarterfinal match. So there is no other way to approach the match than just enjoying the moment and beating MC Alger once more to advance to the next stage of the competition,” Riveiro said.
“The game tomorrow just demands our full concentration and the best of our capacity as the technical staff and the players. There is no time to think about anything else rather than giving our best and getting a result tomorrow.”
Bucs confident of getting a positive result
Club captain Innocent Maela also shared Riveiro’s sentiments. He added that the team was confident of getting a positive result and booking their spot in the semi-finals of the competition.
“From a player’s perspective, the result from last week placed us in a good position to progress to the next stage of the competition. And I think we deserve to be where we are,” Maela said.
“The team is heading in the right direction, and these are just exciting moments for us. However, we have a difficult challenge and game ahead of us. But we are confident that we will go out and do well enough to advance to the next stage of the Champions League.”
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