Ben Youssef urges Durban City to build on Sekhukhune display against Orlando Pirates

Durban City coach Khalil Ben Youssef says his side can take encouragement from their performance against Sekhukhune United into Saturday’s MTN8 quarter-final against Orlando Pirates, despite beginning the season with a 1-0 defeat.

Durban City face the Buccaneers at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 15:00. Ben Youssef accepts his team face a formidable challenge but believes the fighting spirit shown against Sekhukhune United gives them a platform from which to challenge the defending threat of Orlando Pirates.

The former Kaizer Chiefs co-coach felt Durban City were unfortunate to lose their Betway Premiership opener against Babina Noko and wants his players to produce a similarly determined display while improving their attacking play.

“The atmosphere inside the camp is very positive, the hospitality of old players to the new ones has been very good and we have a very good squad. There is a brotherhood and they help the new players,” Ben Youssef said.

He was satisfied with the performance in the league match, even though the result did not reflect his assessment of the contest.

“I was happy with the performance of the players against Sekhukhune United. I know the results were not good, but it was the first match and there is still a lot to play and the results will come.”

Ben Youssef identified the final third as an area requiring improvement. He is also encouraged by the return of several players from injury, believing their availability will give Durban City greater depth and more tactical options.

“We discussed a lot about the final third with some players coming soon and I think the team will be better, playing five competitions with these new players, they will give us more solutions and they will help the team.”

Durban City are due to compete in the Betway Premiership, MTN8, Carling Knockout, CAF Confederation and Nedbank Cup this season. Ben Youssef, however, believes the squad is not yet large enough to cope with such a demanding schedule and has urged the club’s management to recruit additional players.

The coach expects his side could be required to play every three days, making squad rotation essential to protect players from fatigue and injury.

“We will have a situation where we will be playing every three days, so we need to make a rotation, you need to have a [bigger] squad and players who can play. So, if we don’t have players that we can rotate, then it will be difficult and a risk of injuries.

“We are working together every week we meet. We discuss everything, the difficulties we have and what we need for the team to improve to have more solutions.

“We need to find players who are available, but we have a limited budget and we are not in a situation where we can bring any player.”

Durban City’s immediate focus is the MTN8 quarter-final, where victory over Orlando Pirates would provide an early boost after their narrow league defeat. Story audio accompanying the report was generated using AI.