Ouaddou Prioritizes Win Over Stellenbosch Ahead Of MTN8 Semi To Kickstart Season

Following two consecutive losses to start the season, Orlando Pirates coach Abdelsam Ouaddou felt it was crucial to prioritize a win against Stellenbosch at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday.

He admitted to pondering squad changes but ultimately decided against resting key players, despite having a massive MTN8 semi-final match against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.

The pressure on Ouaddou had been mounting after the team’s defeats to Sekhukhune United and Marumo Gallants.

He opted to make just one change from the squad that drew against Sundowns in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final, with Oswin Appollis replacing Patrick Maswanganyi.

Relebohile Mofokeng took over the number 10 role, while Kamogelo Sebelebele, who scored the winning goal against Stellenbosch, played as a winger.

In contrast, Sundowns had the luxury of making ten changes to their lineup for their match that won against Magesi FC on Wednesday, having already secured four points in the league.

Ouaddou explained his decision-making process:

“In the position that we had, of course, you have to think about priorities. Our priority today [Wednesday] was to take three points and to at least start to open the season,” Ouaddou said.

“Of course, you can imagine we have a very important game [against Sundowns on Saturday], but in football, you know sometimes there are some priorities. We were not in a position that we could afford to think about the next game, because today was very important to win and to start our season.”

Even Stellenbosch, who scored two goals in their first-leg semi-final match against Sekhukhune United, made changes to their squad, keeping their upcoming second-leg match in mind.