Former Orlando Pirates striker James Mothibi has expressed his confidence that the Buccaneers will go all the way to clinch the CAF Champions League title.
His prediction comes after Pirates secured a crucial 1-0 victory over MC Alger in the first leg of the quarter-finals on Tuesday night in Algeria.
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The victory not only placed the Soweto giants in a favourable position ahead of the second leg at Orlando Stadium next Wednesday but also extended their unbeaten run in the competition to an impressive 11 matches.
Mothibi praised coach Jose Riveiro's tactical approach, highlighting the effectiveness of the 5-3-2 formation deployed in Algeria.
He also lauded the impact of Nkota, whose introduction in the second half added much-needed speed to their counter-attacks.
Mothibi urged Pirates to remain focused and not relax, emphasising the importance of mental and physical strength in the latter stages of the tournament.
"Pirates employed a 5-3-2 formation, and it worked for them. If you play away and you want a draw while also hoping that you can catch the opposition on transition to force a win, that's a very good formation. It means that defensively your team is very organised, and for that I applaud coach Jose Riveiro. What I liked is that despite setting up like that, Pirates continued to press, and we didn't give them (MC Alger) any chance. Our opponents are very good tactically and they play with speed. They can shoot and they did everything right, but we absorbed the pressure. In the second half, we came with break attacks and the introduction of (Mohau) Nkota helped us because at that moment we needed to play with more speed. Nkota proved to be a problem for their defence, using his speed to his advantage, and that worked for the team," said Mothibi, speaking exclusively to the Siya crew.
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"Pirates are going to go all the way in this competition, they are showing it, and I trust them. Well done on what they have achieved so far, and all the best going forward. They should know that it's not the time to relax, but to work even harder. Mentally and physically, you need to be strong once you reach these stages of these competitions, and they can't afford to switch to relaxed mood, whether playing away or at home. They are playing against top teams with quality players, and they need to prove themselves over and over again and focus on what they are doing and listen to what the coach is saying," he said.
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