Ouaddou: We Won’t Sit Back Against Sundowns
Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou is bracing his team for a high-stakes showdown against Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 semifinal second leg at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday.
The Buccaneers are seeking to continue their dominance in the competition, having won it in the previous three seasons and four in the last five years.
However, Sundowns will be looking to exact revenge after being beaten by Pirates in the competition two seasons ago.
The stakes are high for Pirates, who will have to be an outright winner to advance to the final to face the winner of the match between Stellenbosch and Sekhukhune United.
According to Ouaddou, both the Buccaneers and Bafana Ba Style are evenly matched, and the Moroccan mentor knows that his team needs to be at its best to overcome Sundowns.
“The matches of the league are different from cup games, and if you want to go to the final, you cannot go to face Mamelodi Sundowns and sit at the back,” he said.
Ouaddou emphasized the tactical nature of the game, saying, “I think this is a very tactical game, but for them, the question is how they are going to play? Maybe they will defend this goal, but it’s a lot of questions, and what I can tell you is that it will be a fantastic game for the fans.”
The former Marumo Gallants tactician added that he hopes the stadium will be packed again, and both teams will play nice football to entertain the fans.
The first leg ended 1-1 at Orlando Stadium last week, with Pirates equalizing in the last minutes of the game.
With a 1-1 aggregate score, Sundowns have a better advantage due to the away goal count. If the game ends 0-0 at Lucas Moripe Stadium, Sundowns will advance to the final.
Last season’s final was played by Pirates and Stellenbosch, and there’s a possibility that could happen again as coach Steve Barker’s side is leading 2-0 on aggregate following their 2-0 victory against Babina Noko in Cape Town last weekend.
