SuperSport United assistant coach Andre Arendse praised Orlando Pirates but believes that frustrating their attack could lead to fan impatience during their Nedbank Cup quarter-final encounter at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday (15:00).

Pirates are the defending cup champions, having won the trophy twice in the last two years. They also secured the MTN8 trophy for the third consecutive time this season.  

They remain contenders for the Betway Premiership, currently sitting second in the table, though they trail Mamelodi Sundowns by 16 points, with Sundowns having played four more games.

“Pirates are a club with massive support anywhere around the country and we feel that the longer you can sustain an onslaught or a challenge from an attacking club like Orlando Pirates, the more impatient fans get, and that sort of helps us,” said Arendse. 

“That’s always a tactic that we hope works, sometimes it doesn’t.” 

Arendse, who addressed the media in the absence of coach Gavin Hunt due to a ban, commended Christian Saile’s quality, noting that it took time to find his best position.

“There’s a lot of quality in Christian Saile, we needed to find the quality when he first came. So we had to look at him in different positions and see where he’s most comfortable, where he’s best suited,” he said.

“If you saw the game against Kaizer Chiefs, he dealt out some really good wing play and you know you’ll see the goal that he scored there where he joined in from wider areas, exposing the defense at times and that’s where he’s at his best.

“He’s got good hold up play, he can hold people off and he’s got an eye for a goal. What we’ve discovered is that he bounces off confidence if you show belief in a player like that, he’s ready and willing to give you his all.” 

The former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper is looking forward to the match against the defending champions, as it offers a break from the league and an opportunity to experiment.

“The game on the weekend is always a massive one for us, past battles with Orlando Pirates have yielded some clinical displays from both teams, it’s a game that we as a club go into on the back of not some good form, our league position will state that. 

“It gives us a break from the league just to give us something different, try a few different things with players, set-up formations.

“The game itself I’m certainly looking forward to it, I think every coach does, every player does look forward to it, to play against a team like Orlando Pirates.” 

Pic courtesy of Sandile Xakaza/Inja Ka Moya Snaps