Pirates looking to carry league form into Champions League
· Citizen
Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou is hoping that the Buccaneers carry their winning momentum into the CAF Champions League.
Pirates will begin their continental quest with a preliminary round first-leg clash away to La Cure Waves of Mauritius at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex on Sunday.
The Buccaneers have started the 2026/27 season on a high. They are sitting top of the Betway Premiership standings and have reached the MTN8 final where they will meet Mamelodi Sundowns on 10 October.
Ouaddou wants his charges to maintain that momentum in the continental competition. The Morrocan coach does not want a repeat of last season where Pirates fell short in the final round of qualifiers to St Eloi Lupopo.
“We’ve got a Champions League game to play which we know is very important for us, especially knowing that we went out early. So, it’s only after that that we’ll have time to think about the MTN8,” said Ouaddou after Pirates’ 4-0 victory over Kruger United at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday night.
“We have the Champions League to focus on and games that are very important for us, it’s one of the most important targets of the season knowing that last season we completely failed this competition, this season it’s really a big target for us,” added Ouaddou.
Goals delight Ouaddou
Having scored 13 goals without conceding one in their last five games in all competitions, Ouaddou is happy with his team’s finishing in the final third ahead of Sunday’s clash against Le Cure Waves
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“There are some games where we’ve created a lot of chances, but we didn’t manage to be efficient,” said Ouaddou.
“In this game, we didn’t create a lot of chances, but we managed to score four goals. Well done to the boys.
“These goals came during an important phase of the season where we’ll play in the Champions League and MTN8. So, I think it’s really important for the boys to score and bring a healthy competition that will be important going forward,” commented Ouaddou.
Pirates will host the Mauritian minnows in the second leg of the first qualifying round of the CAF Champions League next week at the Orlando Stadium next week Saturday.
The Buccaneers will be looking to take a healthy lead into this clash in Soweto.