adminJOHANNESBURG. — Orlando Pirates coach Roger de Sa says he cannot give any guarantees but has promised his team will give 100 percent in the Caf Champions League soccer final, first leg fixture on Saturday.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen in football,” De Sa said yesterday, ahead of Pirates’ clash against Egyptian side Al-Ahly.
“I can’t say whether we’ll play well or badly, but the one thing that we know is that we’ll try our best.
“We’re going to give everything we have. These guys will run for 90 minutes plus and give it their best shot.”
Pirates, the only South African team to have won the continent’s premier club competition, will be bidding for a second Champions League title against a team which has reached the final no fewer than 10 times.
Pirates lifted the then-named African Cup of Champions Clubs title in 1995, beating ASEC Abidjan of the Ivory Coast 3-2 in a two-legged final.
It will be the third meeting between the teams in this year’s tournament after Pirates romped to a 3-0 victory in Egypt in August.
The Buccaneers then held the Egyptian giants to a goalless draw at Orlando Stadium in their last group fixture on September 22.
Despite De Sa’s unbeaten record against the Cairo ‘Red Devils’, the former Wits University boss is adamant Ahly will be favourites to lift the trophy for a record eighth time.
“I honestly believe Ahly are the favourites,” he said.
“I think we have a 50-50 chance, without a doubt, but when you look at where they’ve been and what they’ve done in this competition, we have to be at our best.
“Ahly are a special side but we’ve got our strengths and we have a couple of things up our sleeves.”
And the South African Football Association (Safa) is appealing to football fans around the country to put aside their club affiliations and support Orlando Pirates in their all-important Caf Champions League final first leg fixture that will be played on Saturday at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
The Bucaneers face Al Ahly and kick-off is at 8:30pm. The return leg will be played in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday November 10.
Pirates qualified for the final after holding Tunisian giants Esperance to a goalless draw in the first leg of the semifinal at Orlando Stadium, and followed that up with another one-all draw in Tunisia – going through to the final on the away goal rule.
“This is the defining moment not just for Orlando Pirates, but for our football in general. The last time we won this competition was back in 1995, and that is a long time ago. Pirates have shown that with a good plan, more commitment and dedication we can do well in these competitions. It has not been an easy journey for them but they walked the talk and now they are standing at the gates of glory. And I believe this is where we come in as fellow South Africans,” Safa president Danny Jordaan was quoted on Cafonline.com.
“We need to come out in numbers and make sure that when the players trot on to the field, they know the whole country is behind them by seeing a packed Orlando Stadium, and I believe they will do the business. A good result in the first leg will surely go a long way in giving them more confidence to tackle the return fixture. They have done us proud so far, so let us put our club differences aside and show our support.”
Jordaan added that it would also be encouraging to see some fans travelling to Egypt for the second leg on November 10. − Supersport.com.
Online Reporter