Smiso Msomi
As the fairytale of football would have it, the prestigious CAF Champions League has served up a storyline worthy of the competition’s rich history.
Last season, Botswana Premier League champions Jwaneng Galaxy defied the odds to eliminate a hugely fancied Orlando Pirates outfit from the tournament, announcing their arrival on the continental stage.
Fast forward nearly 12 months later and the two teams will renew their rivalry once more at the same stage with a spot in the group stages of Africa’s biggest club competition on the line.
The Buccaneers kicked off their Champions League ambitions by overcoming Madagascar’s Disciples FC over two legs, producing a masterclass in the home leg to ensure passage to the next round.
Galaxy, on the other hand, overturned a first-leg defeat to beat African Stars from Namibia on penalties to seal a date with Pirates.
☠️FT || @orlandopirates 4 v 0 Disciples FC
⚫️⚪️🔴⭐️#OrlandoPirates#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/Cku4nlGcvQ
Speaking about the prospect of facing Galaxy again, Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro expressed that he expected yet another daunting test but that his men would use last season’s events as a source of motivation.
We didn’t have a good time against them last season, it was a really tough time and it’s perhaps an extra component of motivation for us,” he explained.
“Jwaneng have experience in this competition, they did a fantastic job in the group stage as well last season and they’re very strong in their home.”
Riveiro has never hidden his desire to return the Champions League trophy to Orlando, having already captured the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup twice each in his first two campaigns.
Dominant Bucs Cruise Past Disciples
— Orlando Pirates (@orlandopirates) August 23, 2024
⚫️⚪️🔴⭐️#OrlandoPirates#OnceAlways
With the likes of Mamelodi Sundowns, Al Ahly, TP Mazembe and Raja Casablanca listed as favourites for the gold, Pirates will have ambitions of placing themselves in the hat for the final.
Riveiro feels that the Champions League will demand more from his squad than the domestic league as they navigate various challenges on and off the field.
“To succeed in this competition we need to have 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 the approach of the opponents,” he said.
South African-based coaches have often struggled to gather sufficient data on their opponents ahead of the game, a scenario Pirates may face in preparation for Galaxy.
Just like his counterpart Steve Barker of Stellenbosch, whose side is campaigning in the CAF Confederation Cup, Riveiro raised the importance of going the extra mile to analyse clubs that aren’t frequently seen in continental competition.
“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,” he said.
“So there’s a lot of things that can happen in this competition but it’s always difficult to deal with unexpected situations.”
Pirates will have to put their CAF wishes on hold with the 2024 MTN8 next on their schedule with Cape Town City awaiting their challenge over two legs.