Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has warned his charges against resting on their laurels ahead of the second leg of their CAF Champions League second preliminary round tie against Jwaneng Galaxy at Orlando Stadium on Saturday (18:00). 

The Buccaneers head into the match with a slight advantage after claiming a 2-0 victory over the Botswana champions in the first leg last weekend, walking away with an important two away goals cushion. 

Riveiro’s men will be looking to avoid the ghosts of last season, following a premature elimination at the hands of Morena Ramoreboli’s side in the same stage of the competition in the previous campaign. 

With that in mind, the Spanish coach has emphasized the importance of the task that lies ahead, stating that his troops are ready to replicate the performance shown in Gaborone, though he acknowledges the difficulty of the challenge. 

“It’s a very important game for us, it goes without saying,” Riveiro said. 

“We have a huge opportunity to go to the group stages, it’s one of the objectives of the season and we are ready to offer a solid performance to consolidate the result we got one week ago. 

“It’s going to be complicated, we are talking about a really good team, well organized and difficult to play against. So, we need to be the best version of ourselves to make sure that we find ourselves in the group stage.” 

Despite admitting that the Soweto giants are in pole position to secure a group stage berth, Riveiro has urged his troops to approach the encounter with a winning mentality, as he assures that there is no room for complacency in the Bucs camp. 

“We have to approach the game [with an aim] to win it,” said the Pirates mentor. 

“I think as long as we face the game thinking we have to win, the better for us. With that I’m saying, there is no space for speculation, no space for us to speculate about the result and the time. 

“The result right now is indeed good for us, it’s in our favor. But, as a player the 2-0 lead at halftime can produce a negative feeling of relaxation, now we are in that scenario, but trust me we are on our toes.” 

Riveiro has called on his players to forget about the lead they have over their opponents, raising the bar as he states that the only acceptable and expected result from the clash is a win. 

“We want to be ourselves on the field and the only way to be ourselves is to forget that we are leading, ” he said. 

“We must face the game like any game we are playing at Orlando, in our home and we want to get a good result – the only good result for us and the result everybody is expecting from us is a win.”  

The Sea Robbers will hope to reach the group stages of Africa’s elite club competition for the first time since the 2018/19 season.