“I just trust the work that I am doing, the values that I'm putting in my work." said Ouaddou.
Orlando Pirates will resume their CAF Champions League campaign with a two-legged final preliminary round clash against Saint-Eloi Lupopo of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The clash is set to take place in Lubumbashi on Sunday (kickoff is at 3pm).
Pirates advanced to this round of the competition after a comfortable 7-0 aggregate win over Lioli of Lesotho, while Lupopo edged Sudan’s Al-Merrikh 1-0 to reach this stage.
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The Buccaneers will be counting on coach Abdeslam Ouaddou for intel about their opponents, with the Moroccan having worked in the DRC before as the head coach of AS Vita Club between January and September last year.
Ahead of this encounter, Ouaddou has thanked the Pirates management for their faith in him and is eager to repay it by going all the way in the CAF Champions League.
“I just trust the work that I am doing, the values that I’m putting in my work, the love that I’m putting in my job, the love that I’m putting on my players. And what is important as well is the trust — the trust of my club, you know, because without trust of your management, about the board, it’s difficult. So, I thank them for that, for the trust,” said Ouaddou.
Mofokeng doubtful for DRC trip
Relebohile Mofokeng remains doubtful for this trip to Lubumbashi after picking up an injury in Pirates’ victory over Siwelele FC in the last-16 round of the Carling Knockout just before the international break.
As a result, Mofokeng missed Bafana Bafana’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Rwanda after he was withdrawn from the squad due to the injury.
Meanwhile, Chippa United coach Luc Eymael, who coached Lupopo during the 2023/24 season, has warned Pirates to expect a hostile environment in Lubumbashi on Sunday.
“First of all, we qualified Lupopo for the Champions League,” said Eymael as quoted by Soccer Laduma.
“If I’m right, the first game will be in Lupopo, and it will not be easy for Pirates to go there and get a positive result. The stadium will be full, and the fans will be the 13th man of the team. Also, it’s an artificial pitch, and the environment will be a bit hostile for Pirates but very positive for Lupopo.
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“Pirates will feel it. Lupopo have also made some changes since I left, both tactically and in terms of personnel,” he added.
The winner of this clash will qualify for the group stages of the CAF Champions League.
