Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro believes he is seeing a more confident, unified and cohesive combination with each game his team plays as they prepare to face Marumo Gallants on Wednesday night.

Bucs created most of the chances — though, Riveiro might admit, the majority of those were from in front of the defence — dominating SuperSport United in a 0-0 draw at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday evening. Bucs’ coach called it “by far our best and most complete game away this season”.

That result followed 1-0 wins in succession against Chippa United at home and then Royal AM away.

Riveiro believes from what he has seen in Bucs’ last few games he has reason to hope for a fourth unbeaten match in succession against Gallants at Orlando Stadium.

“The progression is there. I cannot evaluate my players only on the results — that’s too easy. I have to go much deeper, and I do,” the Spaniard said.

“And I can recognise the progression, I recognise the things we are implementing day after day and how competitive we are at the moment, how difficult it is for opponents to get a single scoring chance against us.

“Not against SuperSport, but all of these games where you think about the actions where the opponents can score against us. If I take maybe the Stellenbosch game where they were closer to us, I think we are doing a fantastic job in the defensive phase.

“And also in the offensive phase to have the ball more than our opponents. When you have the ball you don’t face attacks.

“We are solid in the transitions and the guys are building the confidence and trust, and getting used to playing together.

“How good our players are is not up for discussion — now it’s about learning to play and perform together, and we are on the right track.”

Pirates — with two wins, two draws and a loss — are in third place on the early Premiership table, though with a game more than most of the teams around them.

Gallants, under 32-year-old French coach Romain Folz, have had a reasonable start apart from failing to convert four draws, along with a lone defeat, into wins to sit in 11th place.

PSL fixtures

Tuesday:

Cape Town City v Kaizer Chiefs, Cape Town Stadium (7.30pm)

Swallows FC v Sekhukhune United, Dobsonville Stadium (7.30pm)

Wednesday:

Mamelodi Sundowns v Stellenbosch FC, Loftus Versfeld (5.30pm)

Chippa United v TS Galaxy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (7.30pm)

Royal AM v Maritzburg United, Chatsworth Stadium (7.30pm)

Orlando Pirates v Marumo Gallants, Orlando Stadium (7.30pm)

AmaZulu v Golden Arrows, Moses Mabhida Stadium (7.30pm)

Richards Bay v SuperSport Utd, King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium (7.30pm)