Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro would probably not have had an appetite for Christmas treats – at least that’s the impression one got deep in the bowels of the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane last Saturday.
Following Pirates’ 1-3 defeat to SuperSport United, the Spaniard was all sour as he struggled to swallow the loss that ensured Matsatsantsa remained second above Pirates.
Even when he praised his team for a good performance, the young coach’s face was at odds with his words.
Riveiro would no doubt have spent the entire week working hard on fixing the mistakes that led to that shock loss, which came about despite Pirates rushing into an early lead and, according to their coach, creating enough chances that could have killed the match off as a contest within the first half hour.
They conclude the year with another tricky assignment at home when Carling Knockout Cup champions Stellenbosch FC pay a visit to Orlando Stadium on Friday night (8pm kick-off).
Steve Barker and his Stellenbosch FC team have not played since capturing their maiden silverware, and will definitely love nothing more than to put a cherry on top of what has been a brilliant first half of the season with a victory at a big club.
And they have every reason to believe they can do that, as they began the current campaign with a win at home over the Buccaneers.
Granted, a lot has happened since that 1-0 triumph, but there is still very little to separate the two sides that are positioned fourth and fifth on the table respectively, with the hosts enjoying a two-point lead, but having played one match more.
Win again like they did in the first-round tie, and Stellenbosch would not only have completed a league double over Pirates, but also usurp them in the standings to go into the second round next year with a realistic chance of challenging for continental football.
The visitors are on a great run of form, having last lost back in September in a 1-3 defeat at champions Mamelodi Sundowns, and have amassed 13 out of a possible 15 points in their last five league matches.
Last weekend’s defeat at SuperSport aside, the Buccaneers were also on a good streak that had seen them unbeaten in six matches, and no doubt Riveiro would have reminded his players that they cannot become a bad outfit overnight.
With the long break from domestic football ahead and four of their players included in Hugo Broos’ final Bafana squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast next month – Nkosinathi Sibisi, Thabang Monare, Zakhele Lepasa and Evidence Makgopa – Pirates have every reason to go out and show Stellies who they are.
After all, the Cape Winelands team have just a single player in the 23-man Bafana group, midfielder Jayden Adams.
And surely Riveiro would love to go home to Spain with a smile and a tummy full of South African festive-season treats, right?
@Tshiliboy