Royal Leopard have issued a warning to Orlando Pirates that they should not be taken lightly when they meet in the CAF Confederation Cup group match at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday (6pm).
The Eswatini side shocked last year’s runners-up JS Kabylie when they eliminated them in the playoffs to book a place in the group phase of this competition for the first time.
Though they started their group stages with a defeat to JS Saoura from Algeria on Sunday, coach Edwin Matsebula said that result was not a true reflection of the game and believes they will match Pirates in their second match.
“That’s the problem with these so-called big teams when they hear that they are playing Royal Leopard from Eswatini, they say it is a small team,” Matsebula told Sowetan.
“They then take us for granted, but when they come inside the field of play, they find a different team altogether.”
The fact they have been watching Pirates' matches gives them a slight advantage as they know the Soweto giants' strengths and weaknesses, according to Matsebula, and plan to capitalise on that.
“For us, this one is a must-win game if we want to qualify for the knockout stage. We have to win this one. Fortunately for us, we are used to watching Pirates play week in and week out in the DStv Premiership,” he said.
“We know how they play. We know their strengths and their weaknesses. We have prepared according to what we know.
“I don’t know if they know us, but we know them better than they will know us. So, this is an advantage for us because even if they can make changes, it won’t be that much where it can hurt us.
“But they are a very strong team and a big team, but inside the field of play, we cannot respect them. We respect them as a big [club] but not inside a field of play. They are not a difficult team to play against.”
Pirates also suffered their first defeat in this competition, going down 3-2 to Al-Ittihad of Libya on Sunday and will be desperate to bounce back to winning ways at the expense of Leopard.
Despite that defeat, they still lead Group B with three points from two matches courtesy of a superior goal difference, with Al-Ittihad and Saoura also sitting on three points.
The Buccaneers will be hoping to capitalise on the fact they will play Leopard in back-to-back matches in SA.
Don't take us lightly, Royal Leopard warn Pirates
Coach plans to capitalise on Bucs' strengths and weaknesses
Image: Supplied
Royal Leopard have issued a warning to Orlando Pirates that they should not be taken lightly when they meet in the CAF Confederation Cup group match at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday (6pm).
The Eswatini side shocked last year’s runners-up JS Kabylie when they eliminated them in the playoffs to book a place in the group phase of this competition for the first time.
Though they started their group stages with a defeat to JS Saoura from Algeria on Sunday, coach Edwin Matsebula said that result was not a true reflection of the game and believes they will match Pirates in their second match.
“That’s the problem with these so-called big teams when they hear that they are playing Royal Leopard from Eswatini, they say it is a small team,” Matsebula told Sowetan.
“They then take us for granted, but when they come inside the field of play, they find a different team altogether.”
The fact they have been watching Pirates' matches gives them a slight advantage as they know the Soweto giants' strengths and weaknesses, according to Matsebula, and plan to capitalise on that.
“For us, this one is a must-win game if we want to qualify for the knockout stage. We have to win this one. Fortunately for us, we are used to watching Pirates play week in and week out in the DStv Premiership,” he said.
“We know how they play. We know their strengths and their weaknesses. We have prepared according to what we know.
“I don’t know if they know us, but we know them better than they will know us. So, this is an advantage for us because even if they can make changes, it won’t be that much where it can hurt us.
“But they are a very strong team and a big team, but inside the field of play, we cannot respect them. We respect them as a big [club] but not inside a field of play. They are not a difficult team to play against.”
Pirates also suffered their first defeat in this competition, going down 3-2 to Al-Ittihad of Libya on Sunday and will be desperate to bounce back to winning ways at the expense of Leopard.
Despite that defeat, they still lead Group B with three points from two matches courtesy of a superior goal difference, with Al-Ittihad and Saoura also sitting on three points.
The Buccaneers will be hoping to capitalise on the fact they will play Leopard in back-to-back matches in SA.
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