adminORLANDO Pirates will head to Rades in Tunisia looking to keep alive their hopes of winning the Caf Champions League. The Buccaneers face Esperance de Tunis in a semi-final, second leg clash at the Olympic Stadium this evening. The first leg between the two teams ended in a goalless draw at Orlando Stadium earlier this month. It was a match Pirates could and should have won, given the way they dominated possession, though they actually created few clear scoring chances.
The “Blood and Gold” of Esperance were simply too well-drilled and organised in defence for Roger De Sa’s side to break down. The visitors played for a 0-0 draw and got exactly what they came for.
It leaves the South African side with a tough assignment in the second leg match, though they do now hold the advantage of being the only team in the tie that can benefit from the away goals rule: any score or draw will put Bucs into the final.
Furthermore, De Sa and his players are confident that they will have more opportunities to score in the second leg because Esperance will have to loosen the defensive shackles in front of their own fans.
“We will have to take the game to them. Esperance will come all out to play and that suits us,” said Daine Klate, a key player for Pirates in their Champions League campaign so far. At this stage, I think the pressure is more on Esperance: they have to beat us to go to the finals and they are playing at home, so I expect an open game on Saturday (today). They (Esperance) celebrated the draw here, so that shows us that they think they can beat us in Tunisia. I personally hope they approach the game in that mind-set – we have got speed and skills aplenty in the team so, playing end to end stuff will be good for us,” concluded Klate.
De Sa admits that his team will need to be composed and calm in the eye of the storm, as he expects a “hostile reception” in Rades.
Pirates have been boosted by the return of Thandani Ntshumayelo to training and his presence should allow the Soweto side to field a strong midfield combination, with Andile Jali and Oupa Manyisa making up the rest of a powerful and dynamic trio in the engine room.
Up front, Kermit Erasmus is cup tied, so Lennox Bacela will probably play a lone striker role, supported on the flanks by Klate and Sifiso Myeni or Tlou Segolela. The defence will see some reshuffling following the Achilles injury suffered by Siyabonga Sangweni. Captain Lucky Lekgwathi, who has had some controversial comments about “forces” within the club supposedly conspiring against him, could return at centre-back to partner Rooi Mahamutsa, though Ayanda Gcaba is also an option.
Esperance coach Maher Kanzari bemoaned his team’s inability to score an away goal in the first leg at Orlando Stadium, but insists they are confident of reaching a fourth successive Champions League final.
The Buccaneers find themselves in the same position they were seven years ago in the 2006 Champions League semifinals: having drawn the first leg 0-0 against Tunisian side CS Sfaxien, they were then beaten 1-0 in the away leg and narrowly missed out on the final. De Sa will hope he and his side do not suffer a repeat of that history.- Supersport.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter