Bucs shift focus to Caf

Roger de Sa would probably have wanted to spend this week basking in ending his nine-match winless streak against Kaizer Chiefs. But instead, another tough test awaits the Orlando Pirates coach as the Buccaneers face Egyptian side Zamalek away in a Caf Champions League group clash on Sunday.

De Sa guided Pirates to a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Soweto rivals Chiefs in the first leg of the MTN8 semifinal at FNB Stadium at the weekend - his first win against Amakhosi as coach in three years.

He was rather modest about the achievement, choosing to focus on the important trip to Egypt, where Pirates will face a side they beat 4-1 at Orlando Stadium.

Because of political turmoil in Egypt, Caf has decided the match will be played behind closed doors.

"It was a great feeling, but it is really just like any other game," De Sa said. "Our focus now shifts to our game against Zamalek, an important game. You could say we have a slight cushion [in the MTN8] now because we won the first leg away from home, but we certainly took the foot off the gas once we scored."

De Sa faced a turbulent month with back- to-back tough fixtures locally and in the Champions League. However, the two cup matches against Amakhosi were rescheduled a month apart, while the PSL game against Ajax Cape Town, initially planned for tomorrow, was also moved to a later date.

This has given De Sa some breathing space following criticism by club supporters that he was not the right man for their beloved Buccaneers. The win against Amakhosi might have gone some way to endearing him to the Pirates faithful.

De Sa is starting to get the best out of his team, and the two emphatic wins against Al Ahly (3-0 away) and Zamalek at home means Pirates have their fate in their own hands as they look to book a place in the semifinals of the continental tournament.

Bucs lead their group, which also includes AC Leopards from the Democratic Republic of Congo, with seven points after three matches.

"We definitely need to have depth and fresh players in the team," said De Sa when asked whether he would find a place in the starting line-up for Saturday's man-of-the-match Lehlogonolo Masalesa. The defensive midfielder took injured Andile Jali's place, but De Sa said Jali would be travelling to Egypt.

If Pirates win most of their games, they are likely to play more than 40 games this season and will need players who are ready to step up like Masalesa, the coach said.

"But we also need to improve in our counter-attacks. Chiefs were a little bit better than us in that department," said De Sa.

Bucs's next domestic league fixture is on September 18, when they host PSL rookies Polokwane City.