PREVIEW: Orlando Pirates aim to tick more boxes in clash against Granada on Spanish pre-season voyage

This means the Buccaneers could be facing a heavily congested schedule, depending on their progression in the knockout competitions.

So far in their overseas camp, the Jose Riveiro-led Premier Soccer League giants have appeared to be unbeatable with a 2-2 draw against English Championship side Plymouth Argyle and a 2-0 victory over La Liga giants Sevilla.

Up next for the Sea Robbers is the recently-relegated La Liga side, Granada, at Banús Football Centre at 19:00 (SA time).  

According to Pirates’ conditioning and strength coach, Helmy Gueldich this camp was designed to help players to be able to deal with the anticipated heavy fixture congestion.

READ: ‘It’s a big responsibility,’ – new Orlando Pirates midfielder Selaelo Rasebotja on joining the Sea Robbers

“We need to push the players to their limit, our players must get used to these kinds of congestive periods because we fight for many trophies, playing for five trophies is not easy. So, we need to push our players to their limit,” Gueldich said.

“To be honest, with these guys, we are lucky because they followed their off-season programs. So, we have been able to start the first week of pre-season on a high level of intensity.

“We can’t say that we are done or something like that, we need to push every week, every single day and every single minute.

“What we are looking for in this preseason is to collect minutes during these games for each player.”

After suffering relegation, Granada has lost some of their top talent, but they’ve also bolstered their squad with players such as Luca Zidane, the son of football legend Zinedine Zidane, and Pablo Insua.

You can place a bet on this match on Hollywoodbets, here are the odds:

15/10 Granada | Draw 9/4 | Pirates 15/10