Zinnbauer hopes to find the balance between Caf and DStv Premiership
“What is important for me is the Swallows game on Saturday, a quick recovery and focusing on getting some of the players back (from injuries),” said the Pirates mentor.
Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer was not happy with his team’s loss to Enyimba. (Picture: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix)
Josef Zinnbauer believes facing Swallows FC after their unsatisfactory result against ES Setif last Wednesday makes things quite difficult for him and his team, as he tries to establish a balance between the DStv Premiership and the Caf Confederation Cup.
The Buccaneers played to a goalless draw against the Algerians at the Orlando Stadium, which means they will have to ensure that things go their way if they are to qualify for the quarterfinals of the continental tournament against Enyimba next week in their final group stages game.
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But, at the moment, it’s the Swallows fixture that the German-born mentor is trying to put all his focus on along with his charges, with three points the main objective for the club when they travel to the home of the Birds, the Dobsonville Stadium on Saturday.
“What is important for me is the Swallows game on Saturday, a quick recovery and focusing on getting some of the players back (from injuries),” said the Bucs mentor.
“We are happy that we can play in both tournaments (domestic league and Confed Cup), we have a chance to go a little bit forward in the league by getting three points and also next week (Caf game against Enyimba), you get a good result and you go to the quarter-finals. The plan was to get three points (against Setif), then it would have been easier to think about Swallows and much better for us to think about Enyimba. Now it is a 90 minutes game for us on the weekend and another big game for us on Wednesday. What you have to do now is find the best players who have energy.”
Pirates injury woes keep on continuing, with goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane doubtful after suffering an injury in their last match, while Richard Ofori is also out due to an injury leaving only Wayne Sandilands fit to play. Bucs might have to promote Elson Sithole to the first team.
Bucs are in fourth place on the log with 38 points after 22 games thanks to their 2-0 victory over Maritzburg United in their previous league game. Meanwhile, the Birds have collected 37 points and occupy fifth spot on the standings from the same number of games. Brandon Trutter’s troopers have only lost one game this season, while Bucs have lost four. When the two sides met in the first round, Swallows got a late goal through Kamohelo Mahlatsi, who cancelled out Ben Motshwari’s strike as the teams ended up playing to a 1-1 draw.
