Soweto derby not on Sredojevic radar

There’s already excitement in football circles with the Soweto derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs just two weeks away, but Bucs coach Micho Sredojevic says he is not yet thinking about it.

The Bucs coach is rather focused on the team’s next fixture against Chippa United in the first round of the Telkom Knockout on October 20 at the Orlando Stadium after the international break.

“It is way ahead, we have the Fifa break and want to polish things in the best possible way. We have players in their respective national teams. The rest of the players need to work hard to provide a platform that will help in the Telkom Knockout match against Chippa, which will lead us to the derby,” said Sredojevic.

“Respect to the derby, it is the biggest match on the calendar which brings the country into a stand-still. But we have no right to think beyond Chippa, we want to give them respect, respect ourselves and give special respect to football, that is why we are totally focused on the game.”

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Since rejoining the Buccaneers last season, Sredojevic has improved the performances of the side after their poor displays in previous years but has no silverware yet to show for it. The Bucs coach missed out on every trophy on offer in the last campaign despite having a wonderful run in the league which saw them finish in second place.

This season, Pirates have already missed out on the MTN8 trophy which was eventually won by Cape Town City. The Bucs coach, however, says he doesn’t want his players to also feel the pressure and he will carry it alone on his shoulders.

“First of all the only pressure I feel in my life is from God, I pray in the evening and morning. I come clean with everything I do with the technical team, management, supporters and players to have top performances and top results,” he added.

“When we look behind, it is true that I haven’t won a trophy since I came here, but I accept all the pressure on my shoulders and let the players be free to express themselves and get the results we are looking for.”

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