A legend admits it. Will Orlando Pirates lose today?
History is making Orlando Pirates' trip to Botswana far less comfortable than it might look on paper.
Details: Orlando Pirates face Namibian champions African Stars today in the first leg of the CAF Champions League second preliminary round. The match will be played at Botswana's National Stadium in Gaborone, with African Stars forced to stage the fixture outside Namibia because the country currently has no CAF-compliant venue.
Former Pirates star Tlou Segolela believes his old club are clear favourites on paper, but warned that matches against teams from Southern Africa have repeatedly caused them problems.
“Teams from SADC countries such as Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Eswatini always raise their level against Pirates. I do not know why, but we tend to struggle against them, and the matches are usually not high-scoring,” Segolela told KickOff.
Segolela also pointed to the clubs' previous Champions League encounter as evidence that African Stars should not be underestimated. Meanwhile, Abdeslam Ouaddou's preparations have been complicated by doubts over Oswin Appollis. The winger was stretchered off during Pirates' 3-0 league victory over TS Galaxy on October 13 after providing the assist for the opening goal, with his condition being monitored ahead of the continental fixture.
It is worth noting that Orlando Pirates and African Stars have met only once before in a two-legged CAF Champions League tie. The first match in Soweto ended 0-0 in December 2018, before Pirates won the return leg 1-0 in Windhoek to advance to the group stage.
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Steven Perez
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