The Soweto giants are optimistic of getting a slot in the next phase of Africa’s elite club competition.
Orlando Pirates host Disciples on Friday in the second leg of the Caf Champions League's first preliminary round.
In the first leg, neither team managed to get a goal despite the Sea Robbers coming into the match owing to their quality.
At Orlando Stadium, Bucs are hopeful of getting a win which will seal their place in the second preliminary round. However, the Malagasy side still pose a threat to the Soweto Giants', especially after getting a draw in the first meeting.
Will Bucs get another shock?
Last season, Botswana outfit Jwaneng Galaxy eliminated Pirates in the second preliminary round, but when asked if the same fate might hit them, coach Jose Riveiro avoided a direct answer but insisted they are prepared to get the needed result to advance.
“You want to make a headline with whatever I say; we have to make it possible that we're going through to the next round. We're preparing ourselves to win the match. We don't want to win the game 10-0, we just need to win the game.
“We're prepared, we're playing home and we're confident. We know much more about the opponents than one week ago,” he continued.
“We're a bunch of coaches and players who are extremely optimistic about winning every game. [on Friday] we going to try to offer a good game for our fans and make sure we are in the next round.
“We have to take the opportunity presented playing at home in front of our fans. We need a victory and we don't want any more to talk about the conditions we experienced five days ago.”
‘It is a difficult competition… sometimes lack of information'
Riveiro further explained why he feels Caf Champions League is tough, and the challenges he is getting when trying to get information about opponents.
“This is a difficult competition, that I myself know and the players know it's even more [difficult] than in the Premier Soccer League,” the Spaniard continued.
“To succeed in this competition we need to have the capacity to adapt to many different circumstances and scenarios that we'll find abroad; unexpected situations, difficult conditions in terms of the services you find and approach of the opponents.
“Sometimes with the lack of information about the opponent, players who you don't expect to play suddenly are playing against you and you didn't even know them before. So there's a lot of things that can happen in this competition but it's always difficult to deal with unexpected situations.
“Our job as coaches is to try to reduce the uncertainty for the players and make them know as much as possible about the situations they will find on the field. In these competitions, especially in these stages, sometimes it's a challenge but resistance, resilience, and capacity to go through these obstacles become the most important.”
The aggregate winner will play either Jwaneng Galaxy or African Stars in the next phase.