'It's very uncomfortable to play against them': Pirates coach Riveiro on their MTN8 opponents Sekhukhune

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro is expecting an “uncomfortable” encounter against Sekhukhune United in the start of their defence of the MTN8 against the Limpopo side at Orlando Stadium on Saturday (6pm). 

But if Bucs fans can come to the game early, and in their numbers, the Spaniard believes half the job would have been done.

Pirates played three close encounters against Sekhukhune last season, beating them 2-1 in the Nedbank Cup final in May. That win came after Pirates lost 2-0 away against Sekhukhune and drew 1-1 in the league ties.

“The expectations are always high and we want to replicate a good game, a good performance and understanding the difficulty of the match because it's a knockout game,” said Riveiro of Saturday's match.

“It's a well-organised team, patient in their approach and they have different ways of playing during the game. It's very uncomfortable to play against them. We know it and it's not going to be an exception on Saturday, but we're prepared.”

Riveiro called on Bucs supporters to rally behind the team, especially after the performance at Orlando Stadium on Tuesday in which they beat Royal AM 4-2 to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat away to Stellenbosch FC in their opening league fixture. 

“When we say playing at home, it's an advantage, it's because of that. It's because you can get the support and warmth from your fans,” he said.

“I'm sure they understand how important [their support] is going to be in a game like this. It's a knockout game and hopefully they'll come in numbers to Orlando and support us all the way because it can really be an extra advantage for us.”

Having won two cup competitions in his first season with Pirates, Riveiro was asked if defending the trophy will put extra pressure on him and his side.

“No, you think if we were not champions it was going to be a friendly game for us? It's the same,” he said.

“Every time we go to the field we're carrying the history of the club and the expectations of our fans. It's a must to go to every game with the intention to win. Maybe that's what you call pressure in this case, but it's a positive pressure.

“We're representing a big club, we know it. It's not in our mind to not be there fighting until the last second for a victory. It doesn't matter whether there's pressure or no pressure. We want to go through and we know what we need.”

Riveiro said the competition in his squad is helping the club produce good results and he hopes the return of a few injured players will help them on Saturday.  

“I think we're doing a fantastic job as a collective in every department. We have a lot of quality players and everybody wants to play,” he said.

“There are some players coming back from some small injuries. The competition in the squad is one of our advantages and so far I'm happy with all of them.”