Africa-Press – South-Africa. Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro says they will draw from their impressive Champions League away record when they take on Pyramids FC in their semifinal second leg at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Friday night.
On their way to the semifinal the Buccaneers pulled off notable away wins over Al Ahly in Egypt and CR Belouizdad and MC Alger in Algeria, and a win over awkward Pyramids FC will see them qualify for their third Champions League final.
They go again with the tie delicately poised after they dished out an exciting 0-0 draw in the first leg at FNB Stadium last weekend that was dominated by VAR.
“We know it is going to be a tough game away from home, but so far we have managed to deliver good performances far from Johannesburg and we want to repeat that,” said Riveiro, adding there are no secrets to their impressive continental away record.
“There are no secrets. It is proper mentality, good preparation and good players in the team. We have confidence we can do it one more time.
“There are going to be moments during the 90 minutes for us to try and influence the game and it is going to be an interesting match. We met a week ago and we know each other better.
“It is difficult to predict the way teams are going to approach the game. As coaches we will push our players to face the game with the right mentality.
“They [players] are the ones who are going to make sure we make it to the final and even go beyond that. It is nice to try and predict what the opponent is going to do, but there are going to be different moments within the 90 minutes for us to try and influence the game.”
Riveiro said there are similarities between them and Pyramids, who were a handful at FNB Stadium.
“It is two teams who like to play good and open football, like we did in the first leg. On Friday we have the obligation to try and win the match — and there are two possible results, unlike in the first leg.
“I am sure it is going to be an interesting match and hopefully it goes the way we want it.”
Pirates have not lost during the tournament and Riveiro said this is due to hard work behind the scenes.
“We started pre-season together and we challenge ourselves every time to do better. We have been committed to this tournament and we managed to deliver good performances.
“We went to the group stages as a young team without experience in the competition and the desire is the same. It has been a beautiful story so far and it is a big opportunity for us to do something special in the Champions League.
“Regardless of what happens, our Champions League campaign is something to be proud of. We are ready, we want to continue the journey and we don’t want our competition to finish on Friday.”
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
