Micho says Orlando Pirates belong in the Champions League
Orlando Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevic says qualifying for the Caf Champions League again is “nothing special” and simply puts a side of the stature of the Buccaneers back where they belong.
Milutin Sredojevic of Orlando Pirates during the Absa Premiership 2017/18 football match between Orlando Pirates and Platinum Stars at FNB Stadium. (Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix)
Pirates have not made it to the Champions League since they played in the competition in 2013, going all the way to the final. Last season, the Soweto giants finished outside the top eight in the Absa Premiership for the first time in Premier Soccer League history, and Sredojevic has masterminded quite a turnaround in the new campaign.
The Serbian has taken the team to second in the table, and they still have an outside chance of winning the league title, four points behind Mamelodi Sundowns, with two games left to play in the season.
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A 4-0 win over Bidvest Wits on Wednesday night confirmed that Pirates cannot be caught in the race for second.
“From my side, I will tell you, I am happy that for the first time since 2012 (the last time Pirates won the league), we have qualified for the Champions League. But in the same moment I need to say it is nothing special. Where we are, this jersey, this badge, this team with millions of supporters, a club of this magnitude deserves to be here. It is normal for us, it was an abnormal season last year,” said Sredojevic after the victory over Wits.
The Pirates coach meanwhile, implied that all the pressure in the title race is on Sundowns.
“Our only focus is Cape Town City … and to play better than today. The rest … it is not right to talk about because the pressure is somewhere else,” he said.
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