Ouaddou admits Pirates may hold psychological advantage over Sundowns in MTN8 final

Orlando Pirates manager Abdeslam Ouaddou accepts that their record of winning the past four MTN8 finals could give them a psychological advantage against Mamelodi Sundowns in Saturday’s decider at Moses Mabhida Stadium, which starts at 6pm.

However, Ouaddou insists Pirates cannot depend on that history as they attempt to secure a fifth consecutive MTN8 title. He says the final will demand determination, courage and a level of commitment beyond tactical planning.

“It’s a different game, different era. You have to prepare for it with a lot of ambition and seriousness. These things [referring to winning the last four editions of the MTN8] can help mentally, but the reality will be the match itself and how we attack the match,” Ouaddou told a press conference at Rand Stadium yesterday.

Pirates have spent much of their preparation without 12 important players because of international commitments.

Deon Hotto was with Namibia, while Ghampani Lungu was representing Zambia. Sipho Chaine, Lebone Seema, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Kamogelo Sebelebele, Tshepang Moremi, Oswin Appollis and Yanela Mbuthuma were involved with Bafana Bafana during the recent FIFA break, which concludes today.

Camran Dansin, Mpho Padime and Simphiwe Selepe were away with the South Africa Under-23 side.

Only Lungu of those 12 players attended Pirates’ training yesterday. The Bafana Bafana contingent is expected to resume training tomorrow, while Hotto and the players who were with the Under-23 team are believed to be returning today.

Despite the disruption, Ouaddou played down the impact of having a large group of his squad away for almost three weeks.

“As usual, we are preparing for this game with a lot of videos of the opponent to fully understand their strengths and weaknesses to make sure everyone knows how we should play on the day,” he said.

“We’ve had around two weeks to prepare for this game. Of course, we miss some of our international players like many other teams, but at least the rhythm and focus have been top-notch.”

Ouaddou said the final would require a different mindset from a league fixture, with Pirates needing to match Sundowns physically and mentally as well as execute their game plan.

“I think it can help us psychologically, but at the end of the day it’s two teams 11v11, so you need fighting spirit,” he added.

“Winning a cup final requires more than tactics … sometimes you have to go a little bit deeper and play with a strong heart. There’s a big difference between a cup game and a league game.”