Moroka Swallows will not sit back and allows Orlando Pirates to come at them when the two Soweto giants clash in the quarterfinals of the Telkom Knockout at Rustenburg’s Olympia Park on Saturday night.
Kick-off is at 8pm.
Attack will be the name of the game for the Birds, according to their Brazilian coach, Julio Cesar Leal.
Said Leal after Swallows’ training session at Germiston’s Delville Sports club on Wednesday afternoon: ”This will be an offensive game. It is a cup match, therefore a one-off, so my basic plan is to go out and attack.”
Leal said he had learnt from Birds’ 1-0 loss to the Buccaneers at a rain-swept Ellis Park in an Absa Premiership fixture played at Ellis Park last Wednesday.
Said Leal: ”It was a difficult match because of the wet conditions. But we know what to expect this time. This will be like a cup final and that is how we will approach it.
”Pirates are a very good side. They have a number of Bafana Bafana players in their side and will be at full strength. They also had a couple of players suspended when they beat us last time, and now all of those players will be available. So we expect a tough game.
”But we have prepared hard and are ready. We know what went wrong last Wednesday and also know this will be a whole new ball game. The pitch is different in that it is smaller and more compact and that suits us. The whole atmosphere is better for us, and even our fans do not mind travelling because we have good facilities for everyone at Olympia Park.”
Leal said that this cup tie would be a tactical battle. He said: ”It will be down to tactical discipline. Both teams are good and know each other.
”What I plan to do is work on a game plan but at the same time I will allow my players the freedom to express themselves. I want to get the best out of all my players. After all it is the players who play and win matches. In the end it will be up to them to go out and get us into the semifinals.” — Sapa