A place in the semi-finals is at stake, with Mamelodi Sundowns already securing their spot in the last four after edging Golden Arrows 1-0 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Tuesday night. Although Pirates will go into the encounter as favourites, coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has cautioned his players against underestimating their opponents, particularly with the backing of their home supporters.

Ouaddou believes the Buccaneers must make the most of playing in front of their passionate fans, whose support could prove valuable in what promises to be a challenging encounter.

“It's really good for us to have the opportunity to play with the front of the 12th man, in front of our fans, who give us the power and the energy. It's something that we are happy with.

“I already started preparing for this game straight after last Saturday's derby, and I've told the players that it will be one of the most difficult games. Why? Because, as I said to my boys, we have to be careful of a team that has been hurt.”

Pirates have enjoyed the upper hand in recent meetings between the sides, having beaten Sekhukhune three times in the space of seven days towards the end of August.

The Soweto giants claimed a 1-0 away win in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final before recording a 2-0 league victory at home. They then completed a convincing 3-0 win at the Orlando Stadium in the second leg of the cup tie.

That difficult run ultimately cost Sekhukhune coach Cedric Kaze his job, with Papi Zothwane subsequently taking over the reins. However, Ouaddou is under no illusion about the challenge awaiting his side and insists Pirates will need to be at their best to progress.

“We have to prepare very well and be at the highest level of our form to win that game, because I think they are a very tough opponent,” he said.

The Pirates coach has also emphasised the importance of consistency, particularly with a demanding run of fixtures on the horizon.

While pleased with certain aspects of his team's performances, Ouaddou believes there is still plenty of room for improvement if the Buccaneers are to compete for silverware on multiple fronts.

“We are not perfect. Every game is another battle where we have to improve. Even when we are doing well, I'm still not 100% convinced about some areas that we need to work on, because we have very important fixtures coming up.

“I want to be satisfied with these areas, especially when it comes to controlling the game.

“I think it's an area that we are working on, but a team of the magnitude of Pirates, if we want to be more ambitious, win titles and go far in the Carling Cup and the Champions League, we definitely need more consistency in controlling games,” Ouaddou added.

Kick-off at the Orlando Arena in Soweto is at 15:00. On Sunday at 18:00, Stellenbosch FC will face AmaZulu at the Danie Craven Stadium in Coetzenburg, and Kaizer Chiefs will host the Bloemfontein-based Siwelele FC at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport