Gallants Coach: We Can Beat Pirates Again

Marumo Gallants coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has expressed confidence that his team can defeat Orlando Pirates again when they meet in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals.

Gallants secured their semi-final berth by overcoming Durban City in a penalty shootout at Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday.  

Immediately following the match, the semi-final draw was conducted, pitting Gallants against Orlando Pirates. Given Pirates’ recent Nedbank Cup success, having won the competition twice in the last two seasons, and their home advantage at Orlando Stadium, they are considered strong favorites.

However, Gallants recently defeated Pirates 2-0 in a league match, which was Ouaddou’s first game in charge. Conversely, Pirates inflicted an 8-1 defeat on Gallants in the reverse fixture at Orlando Stadium, where they are formidable in cup competitions.

“When you reach the semi-finals, you are left with only good and big teams,” Ouaddou said. “You can’t say, ‘Oh, I would like to choose Mamelodi Sundowns or Pirates or Kaizer Chiefs.’ I think these are all big teams, and we will prepare accordingly. We will try to recover and go with a lot of confidence. We will go there with great ambition. We did it once, so why not do it a second time?”

The other semi-final will feature the winner of the postponed Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Sekhukhune United match against Kaizer Chiefs. The Sundowns-Sekhukhune game, originally scheduled for Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday, was canceled due to a double booking. Pirates reached the semi-finals by defeating SuperSport United in a penalty shootout at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.  

Ouaddou faces a challenging balancing act, as his club is also fighting to avoid relegation from the top flight, which is a crucial objective alongside their Nedbank Cup run. Gallants currently sit third from bottom with 19 points after 20 matches, two points ahead of second-from-bottom Magesi FC, who have played one more game.

“I’m wondering how my players will react,” Ouaddou said. “How my players will recover because we will sleep in Durban and travel tomorrow (Monday), so we won’t train. We will try to manage it with my staff, with the performance department. We will recover and do all we can to be fit for the league game.

“Like you said, I agree with you, the priority is to save the club, and we will give our all to save the club. But I’m optimistic. If my players keep playing with a fighting spirit, with the determination to be strong like they did on Sunday, we will manage to save the club, I’m sure.”