“I Warned Everyone About Them”: Ouaddou Reacts To Pirates Drawing Milford FC
Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has welcomed drawing Milford FC at home in the Carling Knockout round of 16, while reiterating his early-season warning that the KwaZulu-Natal side will prove a difficult test for any top-flight team.
The Buccaneers opened their Betway Premiership campaign in August with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Milford at Orlando Amstel Arena, courtesy of goals from Oswin Appollis and Tshepang Moremi.
Following that opening-day fixture, Ouaddou publicly declared that few teams would beat Xanti Pupuma’s side after their promotion via the PSL playoffs.
True to his prediction, the KZN outfit has taken the top flight by storm, currently sitting fifth in the Betway Premiership standings with 12 points from eight matches.
Wednesday’s League Cup draw handed defending champions Orlando Pirates a home fixture against Milford—an advantage Ouaddou views as vital.
“I think the advantage, the positive point, is to play at home,” said Ouaddou.
“That is an advantage, playing in front of our fans, but overall, it will be a difficult game. If you remember when we played Milford in the first game of the season, I said there were not many teams that were going to beat them, and they showed it.
“I think they have a lot of confidence. It is a well-coached team, disciplined, very well-organised, and they can run.
“It will not be an easy game.”
What Are Orlando Pirates’ CAF Champions League Objectives?
Pirates, who lost the MTN8 final to Mamelodi Sundowns before bouncing back with a victory over TS Galaxy on Tuesday, will turn their attention to continental football on Saturday away when they travel to face Africa Stars in the CAF Champions League second preliminary round.
The Buccaneers will be keen to avoid a repeat of last season’s disappointment, when they were eliminated at the same stage by Congolese side FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo following a penalty shoot-out.
The early exit was a major setback for Pirates, who reached the semi-finals of Africa’s premier club competition during the 2024/25 season.
Ouaddou has stressed that progressing to the group stages is a major priority for the club this season, with the team determined to learn from last campaign’s disappointment.
“It is a big challenge for us,” said Ouaddou.
“It is important this year to get into the group stages. Last season, unfortunately, we were knocked out by Lupopo, and it is a big, big target this season. We took a lesson from last season.
“It will be important to come back with a very good result at home to get an opportunity to finish at home and qualify for the group stages.”
