Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro believes his charges will hit the ground running against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.
The Buccaneers last played a competitive game on September 10, when they beat TS Galaxy, but Riveiro insists he is not concerned about potential rustiness following the international break.
“We had a short and well-deserved rest for the boys. We used the time properly. We are still very hungry for the future and we are going to face the game in a very good condition,” said Riveiro, as quoted by Sowetan Live.
“[The break] it’s not bad and it’s not good. It is what it is, we had to adapt ourselves to the schedules. Ours was terrible in terms of games and trips. September was a bit normal and we had this break until the end of the month.
🎙 Jose Riveiro on the @orlandopirates deadline day signings.
— Lorenz Köhler (@Lorenz_KO) September 28, 2022
On @Erasmus_95: “I can see an interesting player in there for sure.”
🟡 #MTN8 | @iDiskiTimes pic.twitter.com/Mhlq3R8sg4
“We didn’t stop so much, it was a good time to do a deep analysis about what we were doing in the competition and get a conclusion to make sure we know where we are in our process. This is a long-term process that we started.
“There were a lot of things to analyse and try to implement for these weeks. For me as a coach, I’m glad we have time to train, for a team like us that trusts in the training process. We had the chance to enjoy these full weeks before we face our opponent. It’s something very positive for us.”
Saturday’s clash is the first leg of the MTN8 semi-finals and will take place at Orlando Stadium.
