“I think the derby is going to be a good game for us. We’re looking forward to it,” said Shandu.
Orlando Pirates defender Bandile Shandu is expecting a tough but good game against Kaizer Chiefs this weekend.
The Soweto giants are set to meet in a sold-out Soweto derby at FNB Stadium this afternoon.
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“I think the derby is going to be a good game for us. We’re looking forward to it,” said Shandu during a derby press conference at The Venue in Melrose Arch on Thursday.
“We’re working hard in terms of getting better as individuals, as a team as well. And I think if we do what the coach wants, the results will take care of themselves.
“It’s going to be tough. We respect our opponents, but we also know how good we are. If we do the things the coach wants according to the game plan, like I said, the result will take care of itself,” added Shandu.
The Buccaneers go into this encounter against Chiefs on the back of back-to-back defeats against Pyramids FC in the CAF Champions League and Sekhukhune United in the Betway Premiership.
Shandu blames the two defeats on “errors”.
“The derby itself is an occasion where not much motivation is needed. The occasion motivates you, as Orlando Pirates, we want to bounce back from previous results. We’ve been working very hard to rectify our mistakes from the previous games.
“We need to work hard like we have been, working for one another, derbies are those games where you need to fight as a team, we showed that before and we just need to carry on with that,” concluded Shandu.
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Pirates are currently second in the Betway Premiership standings with 46 points after 21 games. They trail log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by 12 points, but have two games in hand over the Brazilians who have 58 points in 23 games.
Chiefs on the other hand occupy ninth spot on the log with 30 points after 25 games.
