RIVEIRO WARY OF STELLIES DANGER

Written by: Kamogelo Mogale
Orlando Pirates will square off against Stellenbosch FC in the betWay premiership at the Orlando stadium on Sunday. Both sides head into this encounter at the back of CAF Interclub competitions with The Buccaneers winning 2-1 against CR Belouizdad in Algeria in the CAF Champions League while The Stellies suffered a 2-0 defeat against Stade Malien in Mali in the CAF Confederations Cup.

The Sea robbers have created history for themselves as they still have 100 percent record start to the season, making it 7 out of 7 wins and look set to make it 8 out of 8 while The Cape Winelands side are seeking their fourth win of the season as they lie fourth on premiership table on 12 points, behind Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and Polokwane City.

The two sides last met in the MTN8 final in October at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, with Pirates emerging victorious and Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has acknowledged the difficulties that they always come across when they take to the field to battle against Stellenbosch.

“They are always giving us problems. The most recent times, we were playing them in Orlando. After 70 minutes, we were leading 2-0, but we lost the game 3-2,” said Riveiro.

“That speaks well about the capacity of the opponents we are going to face. Lots of credit to them for the results they are getting and for the football they are playing. And if we speak about threats, there’s many. It’s a team that has capacity to dominate opponents with possession, they can defend results and punish you in quick transitions,” added Riveiro.

“They are a team with the capacity to create you problems with set-pieces. So, as I said, they’re not competing in the maximum level CAF Confederation Cup and playing cup finals by chance. They are a well-structured team with talent and the capacity to give you a difficult day.”

The match is the highlight of the weekend’s fixtures in the betWay premiership. Kickoff is at 15:30.