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Football CAF Champions League DStv Premiership Orlando Pirates Stellenbosch FC

Riveiro: We Can’t Miss Champions League Spot  

  • May 20, 2024
  • 2 min read
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Riveiro: We Can’t Miss Champions League Spot  

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has declared that anything less than a second-place finish in the DStv Premiership is unacceptable for a club of Pirates’ caliber.

Pirates suffered a demoralizing 1-0 defeat to TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday, missing another golden opportunity to overtake Stellenbosch, who also lost their second consecutive game against Mamelodi Sundowns.

Riveiro provided a brief assessment of the match, acknowledging that Pirates allowed Galaxy to play to their strengths.

“We took too much time to progress and played at our opponents’ strengths, giving them the possibility to run in transition, in the first half with our center backs both getting a yellow card,” said Riveiro.  

Pirates have played a total of 40 games in all competitions this season, participating in five different tournaments.

Following their two consecutive losses, coach Riveiro addressed questions about potential fatigue in his squad, stating that it cannot be an excuse.

“You cannot be fatigued if you are playing these types of games, playing for a big objective which is to put Orlando Pirates in the Champions League next season, there are no excuses,” explained Riveiro. 

Pirates remain in third position, just one point behind Stellenbosch (50 points). Both teams have already secured a CAF Confederation Cup spot for next season. However, the fight for second place is now crucial, as it grants Champions League qualification.

Riveiro believes there’s still a chance to reach the Champions League with only one league game remaining.

“We all need to run an extra mile, players, coaching stuff and make sure that the club finishes at least finish the season in second,” he said.  

“Less than that is not going to be a good season for us.”   

Pirates will host SuperSport United in a must-win final league match on Saturday. They also require Richards Bay to do them a favor by earning at least a draw against Stellenbosch in Durban.

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Samkelo Biyela

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