Pieterse hoping to start against ‘tough’ Baroka

Pieterse may deputise for Denis Onyango, who is likely to miss today’s Telkom Knockout quarterfinal tie against Baroka FC at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.

Onyango did not train ahead of the team’s trip to Polokwane, and Pieterse says he will embrace the opportunity if Mosimane hands him his third start.

“For me it is always about learning, growing and winning trophies. My goal is to play in the national team and it all starts with working hard and giving your best whenever you get the chance,” said Pieterse, who was not shy to mention that his debut against AmaZulu, where he conceded three goals, was one to forget.

“The game against AmaZulu was not really the best debut for me but the coach backed me and believed in me to give me a match against Golden Arrows, which shows that the club gives one a chance to redeem themselves,” he said.

The former Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper revealed that in their preparations, penalties were a focal point as Downs don’t particularly have great history from the the spot. They lost to Cape Town City on penalties in the semifinals in the MTN8.

“We always prepare for penalties before a cup game because you never know and it could happen that it goes to penalties but obviously we would love to wrap it up in 90 minutes. If it does go to penalties we know we have prepared for the worst,” said Pieterse, before he went on to overlook the fact that Bakgaga have only won twice this season in all competitions, instead, diplomatically calling Wedson Nyirenda’s men a difficult team to face.

“They are a tough team and that is why they are still in the cup so it is not going to be easy, we know we have a lot of pride to play for. We just know that we need to … put ourselves in the hat for the next round. It would mean a lot to the new guys coming here … Sundowns can go all the way and win it because this is a team of champions and winners, so we have to adhere to that.”

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