Utility midfielder Bandile Shandu has been one of Orlando Pirates' standout performers en route to the CAF Confederation Cup final, but the 27-year-old hasn't been that prolific domestically.

Shandu's four goals in the Confed Cup makes him Pirates' top scorer in the competition ahead of the final against Moroccan side RS Berkane at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Nigeria, tomorrow at 9pm. In the league, the lad from Pietermaritzburg has managed only two goals from 26 outings. 

The versatile midfielder insinuated the reason his domestic form hasn't been as good as his form in the Confed Cup is that local clubs have figured out his style of play because they're familiar with playing against Pirates. Shandu, a natural attacking midfielder, has been mainly operating as a right-back since coming to Pirates from Maritzburg United in July last year.

“It's different. If you're playing locally we know each other because we play against each other week-in, week-out and it's difficult because of that sometimes. Maybe the teams we face in Confed Cup don't analyse us the way the teams in the league do. We want to improve each day... we work on our mistakes,” Shandu said.

Quizzed about where he's most comfortable playing, Shandu said: “I am comfortable where I am needed. The team comes first and it will always come first. Wherever the team needs me to play, I will play that position and I will play to the best of my ability.”

Shandu gave a sense they aim to perform like never before against Berkane tomorrow, underlining that hard work is the cornerstone of how they intend to approach the game in Uyo.

“The occasion itself asks everyone to step up... contribute a bit more than in the previous games. To win, you need to be on top of your game and be fully focused. Nothing beats hard work. You can prepare however you want but as long as you don't work hard you won't achieve your ultimate goal,” said Shandu.