Orlando Pirates to grow rapidly after this CAFCL season – Jose Riveiro

Riveiro was speaking to the media this morning, just before their first training session since they returned from Algeria where they beat Algerian side CR Belouizdad 2-1 in the opening CAF Champions League Group stages game.

Everything around the game, the crowd, the intensity, spoke to the standards of this tournament, Riveiro says he knew that his team won’t be the same after this game, win or lose.

"One thing was clear to me before the match, I knew, maybe it's too much to say but I'm sure that whatever happened in those kind of games the team will be better after those 90 minutes because the level of the game, the experience that the players are accumulating there,” Riveiro said.

“Especially our youngsters, not many players in the 20 and the starting 11 have experience in that competition. So, we can only grow, having that opportunity to be in the Champions League which was one of the objectives one year ago and two years ago, finally we managed to do it."

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Pirates, who play Stellenbosch FC, in a Betway Premiership game at Orlando Stadium on Sunday, are back in the Champions League Group Stages for the first time since 2019. Riveiro says whatever happens in their campaign, the club will benefit a lot from it.

"And this young team, the club will get a massive benefit from this opportunity to be in the group stages. Wherever we finish, we want to go as far as possible obviously but in terms of the experience that these players are going to get, experience that they are getting also when they go with the national team, it's something that I'm sure Pirates will capitalise in the near future," the coach explained.

The next game for the Buccaneers is a big one, against the most successful African football club and record 11 times Champions League champions Al Ahly.

 They play at Orlando Stadium next Friday, but this game comes at the right time when Riveiro is also raving about his team’s mental strength.

"Now, we are still growing like I said after the match, it was our first time together in scenario like this group stage match which is different for multiple reasons that we don't have the time now to go through.

“It's a different type of game but if we are fair with our players, with our group, with everyone. The way they approach the game, how competitive they were from the first minute, the level of confidence they showed in the first stages of the game in a scenario like that speaks very well about the mentality of the team."