Riveiro welcomes break before three big games

With tough fixtures against Mamelodi Sundowns, Jwaneng Galaxy and Stellenbosch this month, Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has revealed he will use Fifa week break to iron out certain things in the team.

Following their hard-fought 1-2 victory over Stellenbosch in the MTN8 semifinal first leg at Athlone Stadium, the Buccaneers have a date with Botswana side Galaxy in the CAF Champions League second preliminary round on September 15.

They will then host Sundowns in the DStv Premiership mouth-watering match four days later before welcoming Stellenbosch in their MTN8 semifinal second leg where they are carrying a 2-1 advantage.

Pirates victory on Sunday was second in 12 fixtures away to Cape-based opponents, drawing six and losing five since 2017.

It was also Riveiro’s first win in Cape Town since he took over last season after drawing once against Stellies before losing to Cape Town City last season.

This season, they had already lost 1-0 to Stellies in the league.

“A little bit of a rest, we had a long journey in August. There was a period where we accumulated 18 days in a row without stopping, so it's a well-deserved break. It's not going to be long unfortunately,” Riveiro told the media during the post-match press conference.

“So, we will use the time to prepare for the upcoming games. It is a time we can use to work more on small things... so that we can help them [players] to polish certain things.

“Because we don’t have the rush of competition or the pressure of competition coming, as coaches, we really like this period because we [can change] what’s happening in the team during the week without the pressure of the competitions every three days.

“It seems like a secondary period in the planning, but it’s a very important moment of the season, so we have to use it very well.”

Zakhele Lepasa continued with his scoring exploits when he netted his 10th goal of the season across all competitions against Stellenbosch on Sunday before Deon Hotto netted deep in injury time to seal the victory.

Ismael Toure had given Stellies the lead just before halftime before the Buccaneers hit back in the second half to ensure they have the advantage heading into the second leg.

Riveiro warned that his side will not be complacent in the second leg despite carrying 2-1 advantage.

“If one team is going into the second leg with a 2-1 thinking that’s done because you are playing at home and that you scored away, you will find yourself during the game in a situation where you are uncomfortable,” he said.

“One thing is clear: we respect Stellenbosch a lot, so we will not relax because we know the difficulty of the game against them.”