No Rest for Orlando Pirates During FIFA Break Ahead of Big Mamelodi Sundowns MTN 8 Test

• With the international football break upon local football, Orlando Pirates has ensured that it remains active during that time
• The Buccaneers' next match will be on 1 October against Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN 8 semifinal
• This will be three weeks since their last competitive fixture against TS Galaxy last Saturday

Orlando Pirates wants to remain as sharp as a knife ahead of their blockbuster clash against Mamelodi Sundowns next month in the first leg of the MTN 8 semifinals.

The match will take place on 01 October, three weeks after the Buccaneers' last competitive fixture. This was last Saturday, when they saw off TS Galaxy 2-0 in the DStv Premiership, with a list of friendly games being lined up to keep up this winning momentum.

According to The Citizen, a source at the club said:

“The coach is clear about what he wants and he told the squad after the TS Galaxy game that there won’t be any time off. Some of the guys need the time off, but they understand that the coach is only trying his best to make sure that the team plays their best football.”

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“There are lots of issues that he has raised with the players. He wants to stabilise his back-four and he also wants to see more goals being scored. He has been speaking about it for a long time now and he hopes with more time to train the team, things will finally work out.”

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro gives surprising comment about Percy Tau

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro will not have endeared himself to Percy Tau's fanbase following what he said recently.

As reported by Sports Brief, the Spaniard said that he had not heard of the Bafana Bafana and Al Ahly midfielder until after taking over at the Buccaneers. Tau is nearing an exit from the Egyptian club, with Pirates strongly linked with the 30-year-old.

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Tau was once on the books of Premier League team Brighton & Hove Albion, before being brought to Cairo last year by then-coach and compatriot Pitso Mosimane. Tau took to life in Cairo like a duck to water, scoring eight goals in 28 appearances in all competitions for the club of the century.

He was one of the key performers as Al Ahly won last year’s CAF Super Cup and finished as runners-up in the CAF Champions League final this season. He fell increasingly out of favour following a loss of form and after Mosimane's departure.