Micho wants Pirates to have same focus against Arrows as in the derby

Orlando Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevic has said he wants his players to display the same intensity in their Telkom Knockout last-16 cup tie against Lamontville Golden Arrows on Saturday as in last week’s Soweto derby.

While results in the derby against Kaizer Chiefs can play some role in coach’s of the two teams’ popularity and sway with their sets of fans‚ perhaps a little more rides on this cup game against Arrows at Princess Magogo Stadium (kickoff: 3:30pm) for “Micho”.

Last season’s failed trio of coach’s in Bucs’ tempus horribilis did not just fall for poor results‚ but also an inability to reverse Pirates’ barren trophy spell stretching to the 2014 Nedbank Cup in the three cup competitions.

In league results‚ Sredojevic has so far done better than his 2016-17 predecessors‚ although even there Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Chiefs brought to four the number of matches without a win for third-placed Pirates.

So a win right now in a cup game would come at a good time for Bucs and their coach.

“It is obvious that in matches like a derby all players are focused and alert. It will be our job to ensure that the players are equally focused for the match against Golden Arrows‚” Sredojevic told his club’s website.

“A cup game doesn’t cater for draws – there has to be a winner and a loser so we will need us to be firing on all cylinders.

“At the end of Saturday we will either be in the last-eight or we won’t. We have to have the same brand of football and the same level of commitment as we have shown in the derby.”

Pirates will need to keep up their intensity if they are to undo Arrows in their backyard.

Clinton Larsen’s energetic Durbanites are second in the PSL‚ on form‚ one of the most compact‚ organised teams in the league to break down‚ and not so easy to defend against either with a lightning counterattack to some tricky front-runners.