Why Pirates will need to sharpen their minds for Confed semi-final in Libya

If Orlando Pirates want to realize their dream of lifting the Caf Confederation Cup, then, their first leg meeting with Al-Ahli Tripoli will be vital for the Buccaneers to get a positive result at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Libya on Sunday. 

Every successful coach in continental football has spoken about the importance of doing well away from home, in order to do the job with less pressure when you play at home.

Pirates will have to dig deep and stay resolute when they visit the Libyan outfit, who are known to be ruthless at home and they won all of their group stage matches they hosted this campaign. 

Tripoli are also one of the big teams in Libya with a huge support base, and Bucs are expected to face a huge capacity crowd should Tripoli be given the green-light.

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But, this won’t be the first for the South Africans, having faced a massive crowd in Tanzania when they took on Simba SC in the first leg of the quarter-finals at Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium. 

But, even though Pirates lost that match 1-0, they still looked like the better side in front of the home supporters and they could have easily won it. 

The same mentality co-coaches Fadlu Davids and Mandla Ncikazi instilled on the players should be utilised once again for this tie as they managed to win 1-0 at home and went on to win the tie 4-3 on penalties. 

Going into this match might be a bit tricky for Pirates though, with the club having displayed some poor performances in the DStv Premiership. 

Bucs have not been able to score or win a match in their last two domestic league games which should be something of a huge worry for the technical team going into this daunting clash. 

Ironically, they were the big scorers in the group stages after finding the back of the net 15 times, where Bandile Shandu managed to score four goals in nine appearances.

But, strikers Kwame Peprah, Zakhele Lepasa or Tshegofatso or whoever will be used upfront need to step up, and show their prowess in front of goals at this stage, with the team needing everyone to be on their best in their quest to win the continental tournament.