By Dylan Bettencourt
- Pirates face Sundowns on Saturday in a crucial title clash, with only six points between the teams.
- Pirates have won seven games in a row but must end their poor league record at Loftus to stay in the title race.
Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro says his team can finally give Sundowns a real fight for the league title.
Pirates face league leaders Sundowns at Loftus Stadium on Saturday in a sold-out clash. Only six points separate the teams, and Pirates have played one game less.
“We want to be a serious league contender,” Riveiro told the media. “There are not many points we can drop in the PSL. We are trying our best to be competitive every two to three days.”
Pirates have won their last seven games. They’ve also beaten teams that gave them trouble last season, like Richards Bay FC and Sekhukhune United.
But Sundowns have been too strong for too long. They’ve won the league for the last seven years. Last season they finished 23 points ahead of Pirates.
Riveiro knows the pressure is on him to change this. “I am coaching Pirates, a champion team, a winning team. Everybody expects us to improve the history of the club – to get titles.”
He added: “We are fighting against good teams. One of those teams is an excellent team – champions in the last seven years. We had an excellent beginning to the season, but we are still a few points behind. But we aren’t going to stop.”
Pirates have beaten Sundowns in cup games but haven’t won a league match at Loftus under Riveiro. Saturday’s game kicks off at 3.30pm.
Pictured above: Pirates and Sundowns going head to head.
Source: @Masandawana
