Stellies coach confident of Pirates’ scalp

Stellenbosch FC’s good start to the 2021/22 DStv Premiership has made head coach Steve Barker confident of beating Orlando Pirates when the sides meet in a league clash at the Danie Craven Stadium on Wednesday.

The club from Cape Town is hot on the heels of league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who are on 26 points, whilst Stellie have 21 points.

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 “Big match against Pirates this coming Wednesday. It will be our third home game in a row, we have drawn the previous two. So, for me it is important we get maximum points against Pirates,” said the Stellies mentor.

“We all know that Pirates have individual quality to win any football game, we can’t look too much on their consistency, but rather focus on what we need to do. But in saying that, I feel for the first time in this league we can go into a game against Pirates and feel confident that we can get maximum points.”

Looking back at last season when the club finished in 14^th place on the log, Barker adds that there is a lot of growth in his charges this season.

“I think there are a lot of different reasons, the players have got more experience, they have matured, the confidence level is high, they had a good pre-season. I think the main factor is that our conversion rate is high because we are creating a lot of chances and this season we are taking our chances.”

The last time Pirates and Stellies locked horns they played to an entertaining 2-2 draw, with Waseem Isaacs and Judas Moseamedi scoring for the Cape side, while Deon Hotto and Mosele found the back of the net for Bucs.