Jose Riveiro: Stellies have advantage over Pirates for CAFCL spot

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has revealed that Stellenbosch FC actually have an upper hand over his team for the CAF Champions League spot.

The race for the CAF Champions League spot is heating up after Stellies dropped two points this week while Pirates beat Chippa United.

As things stand, Stellies lead Pirates by a single point with three games to go, and Riveiro feels this is Steve Barker’s team’s opportunity to lose.

Whoever finishes second after the 30th league match of the season will join Mamelodi Sundowns in next season’s CAF Champions League.

And with Stellies sitting second and Pirates third, the Spaniard believes they have control of their situation and destination than his team.

All Pirates should do for them to finish second is to win their remaining matches of the season and hope for Stellies to drop points in one of their games.

Nonetheless, Riveiro hasn’t completely lost hope of finishing second, saying they will try their all and fighting until the end.

Should Pirates finish second on the log, they wwould have done so for the second successive season with Riveiro in charge.

IS JOSE RIVEIRO PLAYING MIND GAMES?

“Stellenbosch are still ahead of us by one point; that’s the reality. They remain in control of their own destiny based on their performances and results. We must continue applying pressure and pushing as hard as possible to do our part. It will be a tight battle for both teams until the very end,” Riveiro told reporters this week.

“It’s a great competition. They’re having an excellent season, and regardless of the final outcome, it’s been an exceptional campaign for them. As for us, we’ll keep striving to achieve our secondary objective, which is the highest possible finish at this point – the second spot.”

WHAT BUCS NEED TO DO TO QUALIFY FOR CAFCL

Now, according to Riveiro, Pirates need to tighten things up at the back to ensure that they don’t concede as much as they have.

He is, however, impressed with his strikers who have been scoring goals for fun in recent times but feels Pirates players should work more as a team.

“We’ll give it our all. Maintaining a solid defense and not conceding is crucial for a team with our attacking capabilities. It’s difficult for opponents to keep a clean sheet against us. When we don’t concede, it usually translates to three points. We’re currently ranked second in the league for goals scored (43), behind only Mamelodi Sundowns (47),” continued Riveiro.

“Obviously, we need everyone involved. We need everyone performing at their best in every phase of the game, and the defensive phases are no exception.”