Orlando Pirates out for revenge against Jwaneng Galaxy

Orlando Pirates will be out for revenge when they take on Jwaneng Galaxy in the first leg of their CAF Champions League second preliminary round at the Botswana National Stadium in Gaborone on Saturday.

The Buccaneers were knocked out by Galaxy at the same stage of this competition last season and they will be looking to make up for that embarrassment.

It was the second time that Pirates had been eliminated by a club from Botswana after they were dumped out of the  CAF Champions League by Gaborone United in 2010.

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Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabasa is confident that the Sea Robbers will not suffer the same fate against the Botswana opposition this time, saying Pirates are in better shape than last year.

“A lot of people have been speaking about Jwaneng and what happened, but this is a new season, this a new Orlando Pirates, that manages to create a lot of chances and take their chances,” Mabasa told the media at Job Rathebe Junior Secondary School in Soweto this week, where Pirates and Nedbank handed over a new multipurpose sports court.

“So going into the game, we are very motivated, you know, this club deserves to play in the Champions League every season and not only play in it but to compete and that is exactly what we’re going out to do this weekend. It will be a difficult encounter, but we are well prepared for it.”

Mabasa warns Galaxy coach

Jwaneng Galaxy coach Morena Ramoreboli has already spoken about how well he knows Orlando Pirates players including Mabasa, having worked with some of them at Bloemfontein Celtic and Bafana Bafana.

Mabasa, however, has warned Ramoreboli that Saturday’s game won’t be the way that he expects it to be.

“I had the opportunity to work with coach Morena from development at Celtic and in the COSAFA Cup team last year as well. He is a coach that I know quite well and knows me as a player, but this is a completely different phase. I have grown as a player, there are a lot more tactics involved,” he said.

“The game won’t be the way he expects it to be. You can study all you want but what happens on the day is entirely up to the players and the tactics on the day,” concluded Mabasa.