Orlando Pirates' run of fixtures towards the end of the year could favour them to recover lost ground in the Premiership standings following their win over Kaizer Chiefs in the Soweto derby.
The Buccaneers won two games in a row in the league for the first time this season after edging Amakhosi 1-0 last Saturday courtesy of a goal by Evidence Makgopa.
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Pirates were struggling with the congested fixture schedule but ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations break, the Sea Robbers have a much manageable fixture run in, that will please head coach Jose Riveiro.
The Buccaneers have only four games between now and the end of the year before they close for the AFCON, with the league programme set to resume in February next year.
Pirates were on fire in the early stages of the season, with enough rest in between games but started to experience a dip in form with a congested schedule after their CAF Champions League campaign, where they had to play in two preliminary rounds.
Riveiro says from his experience at the Buccaneers, they get good results when they have at least a week to prepare for matches.
"My perspective, when we have one week to play, we used to get a good result, I'm talking about our team. In periods where the games are (congested), it's difficult for everybody," Riveiro told reporters at FNB Stadium after their win over Chiefs.
"When you play every two days and you have to continue playing every three days, you will be limping somehow during that period.
"If we could manage to play every four days, the players like to play more than they train but at the same time we want to offer a good show, we want to play good, we want to be fresh mentally, try to do our best," he said.
"If you ask me as a coach, I'd rather play every five, six days, so we have time to make influence in what's gonna happen in the game," he added.
Pirates will have at least a two-week break in between matches against Richards Bay, TS Galaxy and SuperSport United and will have one week to prepare for their final game of the year against Stellenbosch.
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