Pirates coach hoping for goals against Baroka

A disappointing 2-2 draw with Cape Town City in a midweek league clash has prompted Orlando Pirates head coach Milutin Sredojevic to work on improving the mental strength of his charges going forward.

Pirates were 2-0 up inside the first 16 minutes of the match, before allowing Cape City back into the game by conceding two goals in the second half, resulting in a share of the spoils at Orlando Stadium.

Ahead of their Absa Premiership clash with Baroka FC at Peter Mokaba Stadium today, Micho was hoping his team did not make the same mistake, and he felt his side was still a work in progress.

“We need to fix our mental strength. We need to be technically effective to bury the game and put it beyond the opponents’ reach,” Micho said.

“This is something we need to do in front of us. We need to learn from the matches behind us.

“We are in the process of growing as a team, and in growing as a team you have slips. These two matches are a great lesson, in a way that in times ahead of us we cannot allow ourselves to be in a relaxed position.”

Looking at the positive side, the Buccaneers had been able to hit the back of the net seven times in their last three games, finding form up front which was lacking in their opening few games of the campaign.

The team continued to miss clear goal-scoring opportunities, however, and the Bucs coach said he would continue to work on their finishing.

“We are satisfied with the number of chances we are creating. In the last three matches, we have scored seven goals, so it is much better than before.

“But that effectiveness needs to grow by a percentage of conversion ratio, and this is not like a phone that you press and it works. It’s a process.”

Bucs are in third position in the Premiership heading into this weekend’s clash, with 11 points to their credit, while Baroka are struggling and find themselves in 13th spot with five points from six games.

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