The 6-1 drubbing is in the past‚ and Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United will start anew in Saturday’s Telkom Knockout semi-final at Mbombela Stadium‚ both coaches said at Thursday’s pre-match press conference.
SuperSport and Pirates return to Mbombela‚ the venue of one of the more famous results in recent South African football history‚ where Matstsantsa put six past Bucs to equal the Soweto giants’ record scoreline in a defeat.
That result on November 1 was so dramatic it put paid to previous Bucs coach Muhsin Ertugral’s four-month tenure as he resigned by email in the early hour of the following morning.
Ertugrals’s successor‚ Augusto Palacios‚ and his SuperSport counterpart Stuart Baxter‚ both stressed that result is in the past for their teams.
“I think this is another game. I said it previously – it’s nothing about revenge‚” Palacios said.
“I think people interpret different aspects about it. We know about the responsibility of this game. We know about SuperSport‚ and not only the players but also the coach. And we prepare according to the game.
“And the game is to play with 11 players‚ and with a winning mentality from the players.
“For Pirates it’s not about the Telkom or the PSL – It’s a game. And a game where we need to go and play properly against a difficult opponent.
“The past is the past. It’s another new page‚ and another new game.”
Baxter echoed Palacios’s sentiment.
“Anything that’s happened in the past is history. The Titanic sunk a long time ago and we all get on with our lives and playing football matches‚" the SuperSport coach said.
“We did very well on that day [in the 6-1 win]. But Orlando Pirates are always formidable opposition. We’re going to have to play very well if we want to win this tie.
“The fact that we’re at home – I’m not sure that matters that much. It’s an away game for us at Mbombela Stadium – we have to travel as well.
“We enjoy playing there. But I still think we’re going to need a good performance to beat Orlando Pirates‚ because they have the tradition‚ the culture and the players and the setup to beat anybody in the country."
Despite the coaches’ assurances it is hard to see Pirates’ players at least not having their past two results against SuperSport at the back of their minds.
In May SuperSport were 3-2 winners against Bucs in 2015-16’s season-ending Nedbank Cup final. - TMG Digital.
Palacios, Baxter try to put United's 6-1 drubbing of Pirates behind them ahead of rematch
The 6-1 drubbing is in the past‚ and Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United will start anew in Saturday’s Telkom Knockout semi-final at Mbombela Stadium‚ both coaches said at Thursday’s pre-match press conference.
SuperSport and Pirates return to Mbombela‚ the venue of one of the more famous results in recent South African football history‚ where Matstsantsa put six past Bucs to equal the Soweto giants’ record scoreline in a defeat.
That result on November 1 was so dramatic it put paid to previous Bucs coach Muhsin Ertugral’s four-month tenure as he resigned by email in the early hour of the following morning.
Ertugrals’s successor‚ Augusto Palacios‚ and his SuperSport counterpart Stuart Baxter‚ both stressed that result is in the past for their teams.
“I think this is another game. I said it previously – it’s nothing about revenge‚” Palacios said.
“I think people interpret different aspects about it. We know about the responsibility of this game. We know about SuperSport‚ and not only the players but also the coach. And we prepare according to the game.
“And the game is to play with 11 players‚ and with a winning mentality from the players.
“For Pirates it’s not about the Telkom or the PSL – It’s a game. And a game where we need to go and play properly against a difficult opponent.
“The past is the past. It’s another new page‚ and another new game.”
Baxter echoed Palacios’s sentiment.
“Anything that’s happened in the past is history. The Titanic sunk a long time ago and we all get on with our lives and playing football matches‚" the SuperSport coach said.
“We did very well on that day [in the 6-1 win]. But Orlando Pirates are always formidable opposition. We’re going to have to play very well if we want to win this tie.
“The fact that we’re at home – I’m not sure that matters that much. It’s an away game for us at Mbombela Stadium – we have to travel as well.
“We enjoy playing there. But I still think we’re going to need a good performance to beat Orlando Pirates‚ because they have the tradition‚ the culture and the players and the setup to beat anybody in the country."
Despite the coaches’ assurances it is hard to see Pirates’ players at least not having their past two results against SuperSport at the back of their minds.
In May SuperSport were 3-2 winners against Bucs in 2015-16’s season-ending Nedbank Cup final. - TMG Digital.
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