Orlando Pirates face Botswana test in CAF Champions League

Orlando Pirates will be wary of another difficult away assignment when they face Namibian side African Stars in the first leg of their CAF Champions League second preliminary-round tie.

The match will be played at Botswana’s National Stadium on 17 October after African Stars confirmed they would move their home fixture from South Africa. The decision removes what might have been a significant advantage for Pirates, who had expected the match to be staged in the country after Stars hosted Gabonese club Mangasport at Lucas Moripe Stadium in the previous round.

Abdeslam Ouaddou’s side have already experienced problems on the road in this season’s competition. In the first preliminary round, Pirates were held to a goalless draw by La Cure Waves, a semi-professional team from Mauritius whose domestic league had not yet begun.

That result served as a warning that the early stages of the Champions League could prove more challenging than expected for the South African club. Their next assignment will also bring back difficult memories of previous visits to Botswana.

Pirates last played a competitive continental fixture in the country in February 2010, when they were held 0-0 by Gaborone United in the first leg of a Champions League preliminary-round tie.

Ruud Krol had rested many of his leading players for the league programme, but the decision proved costly. Gaborone United then secured a 2-2 draw in South Africa and eliminated the more highly fancied Pirates on away goals.

Jose Riveiro also suffered a painful exit against Botswana opposition in September 2023. Pirates were beaten 1-0 by Jwaneng Galaxy away from home, before Morena Ramoreboli’s team restricted them to a 1-0 defeat in the return fixture and progressed after a penalty shootout.

The outcome was different when the clubs met again a year later, with Riveiro still in charge. Pirates won 2-0 in Botswana in the first leg of the qualifying round and followed that with a 1-0 victory at home, securing a comfortable passage to the group stage.

Those contrasting results leave Pirates with both a warning and a source of encouragement ahead of the meeting with African Stars. Their previous failures in Botswana underline the danger of the trip, while last season’s success against Jwaneng Galaxy shows they have also found a way to win in the country.