CAF Champions League| Orlando Pirates v MC Alger preview

Orlando Pirates v MC Alger

Time: 4 pm (Wednesday 9th April)

Venue: Orlando Stadium (Johannesburg)

Referee: Traore Ibrahim Kalilou (Ivory Coast)

The Bucs were the only team to win away from home in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the CAF Champions League. They now have the opportunity to qualify for the semi-finals of the CCL for the first time since 2013 when they eliminated Esperance and lost 3-1 on aggregate in the finals against Aboutrika’s Al Ahly of Cairo.

The head coach of Orlando Pirates, Jose Riveiro, is one of the best coaches on the continent currently after tactically outsmarting most of his colleagues.

Ahead of the fixture at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, Orlando Pirates have won their last seven home games in all competitions, two of them were in the group stage of the Champions League against Stade d’Abidjan and Belouizdad making the trip a tough one for the North Africans.

“Yeah, nobody can question that we are not trying in each and every game. I mean, we are not giving up in any competition we are in. We are in to win no matter what happens, no matter what the opponents do,” Riveiro revealed.

“We are gonna try to be at a level that we must be in each and every game. Mathematics tells us that you cannot stop going, we will try until the end, until the last day if it’s possible,” the head coach concluded.

MC Alger was not bad at all in the first leg. They lost 2-1, with Orlando Pirates’ 28-year-old goalkeeper Sipho Chaine making the difference. The Algerians will attack the South Africans because they have no option but to win before they can book a place in the semi-finals.

MC Alger head coach Khaled Ben Yahia is extremely optimistic his side will challenge their opponents to the fullest on Wednesday night.

“We will not say that the match will be easy against Orlando Pirates. Everyone saw the level they presented against us at our stadium, but we are going to South Africa to defend our chances,” the Tunisian tactician said.

“Nothing is impossible in football. We just have to believe that our chances are still there, and let’s do everything we can to return with a qualification ticket.

“I thank our loyal fans for coming to the training centre and the airport to motivate us. I hope we live up to their expectations and make them happy by qualifying,” Yahia added.

In the other games of the second leg, Al Ahly, the defending champions will visit Al-Hilal Oumdurman of Sudan in Mauritania. The Egyptians narrowly won 1-0 in the first leg.

Esperance Sportive de Tunis lost 1-0 in the first leg in Pretoria against Mamelodi Sundowns. The Tunisians will look forward to turning things around at the Rades Stadium in Tunisia.

Pyramids in the first legsmackedd FAR 4-1 in Cair, and will visit Morocco for the second leg.