A home victory against Stade d’Abidjan in Saturday’s CAF Champions League fixture could propel Orlando Pirates to the top of Group C.
Currently third in the group with five points, the Buccaneers trail leaders Al Ahly by two points.
Their group stage campaign began with one win and two draws in their first three matches. After a 2-1 win over CR Belouizdad (third place), they drew 0-0 with Al Ahly and 1-1 with this weekend’s opponents, Stade d’Abidjan, who sit at the bottom of the group with a single point.
Ahead of the match, coach Riveiro, speaking to FARPost, acknowledged his team’s relative inexperience in the competition while also recognizing the strengths of the Ivorian side. He stated, “I have highlighted many times that we are a very good team but inexperienced in this competition, starting with the coach.
“It’s a new space for us, and we are competing at a really good level. Every game in this competition is an important chapter, especially in our young players’ careers.
“To deal with opponents like Stade d’Abidjan, for example, who know very well how to compete in this type of game, they know how to reduce your possibilities in specific scenarios and how they dealt with us in set pieces in the first leg of the game in Ivory Coast.
“We were punished in a special situation when they took their chances in set pieces, corners, and free kicks. Hopefully, tomorrow we can do a better job of dealing with those scenarios.”