Ouaddou warns Pirates face tough task to reach fifth successive MTN8 final

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has warned his side that securing a place in the MTN8 final will be difficult, despite holding a 1-0 advantage over Sekhukhune United before Saturday’s semi-final second leg.

The teams meet for the third time in seven days at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday at 15:00, with Pirates looking to complete the job after winning the opening leg at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium last weekend.

Pirates have also beaten Sekhukhune 2-0 in a league match at the same venue on Tuesday. However, Ouaddou was dissatisfied with his team’s performance in that victory and believes their display in Polokwane during the first leg was considerably stronger.

“We had an interesting game in Polokwane in terms of organisation, discipline and fighting spirit. For me, we could have won 2-0 or 3-0,” Ouaddou said.

The Orlando Pirates coach acknowledged that the three points secured in midweek were valuable, but admitted that Sekhukhune had been the better team on the night.

“I have to be honest, today [on Tuesday] we won and I am happy for the three points, but we didn’t deserve to win today. Sekhukhune were far better.”

Pirates are chasing a fifth consecutive appearance in the MTN8 final and have won the competition in each of their last four attempts. Even so, Ouaddou does not believe their current lead guarantees progress to the final.

“I know that it won’t be easy to qualify for the final … if we don’t find solutions it will be very difficult,” the Bucs coach said.

His comments come as Pirates prepare to face a Sekhukhune side that showed greater attacking intent in Tuesday’s league meeting. The result went against Babina Noko, but assistant coach Paulus Masehe said the performance reflected growing confidence within the squad.

“We were able to take the game to Pirates and that was an improvement from the game in Polokwane. We showed that we’ve developed confidence.”

Masehe also expects Pirates to remain faithful to their established approach rather than tailoring their tactics specifically for Sekhukhune. He said the opponents’ consistency made them familiar, but difficult to disrupt.

“Playing against Pirates is always the same because they don’t change how they play … they don’t adapt to anyone’s style,” Masehe said.

Sekhukhune will be without head coach Cedric Kaze on the touchline after he was sent off during the midweek encounter. Masehe is therefore expected to help oversee the team as it attempts to overturn the deficit and prevent Pirates from reaching another MTN8 final.

The second leg begins at 3pm at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday.

The story’s audio was generated using AI.