Orlando Pirates news: Micho cautions against underestimating Amakhosi

A lot of factors point towards an Orlando Pirates win when they clash with rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the Soweto Derby at FNB Stadium on Saturday, but coach, Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic has cautioned his charges against complacency.

The Buccaneers are unbeaten in 10 matches against Amakhosi, are ahead in terms of log position, and have also gone months without suffering a league defeat.

Chiefs, on the other hand, have lost two of their last four league matches, and have suffered three consecutive defeats against their bitter foes.

Nonetheless, Sredojevic feels underestimating the fellow Soweto giants would prove a fatal mistake for the Buccaneers, who are in a desperate chase for league honours, having crashed out of the Nedbank Cup recently.

“We have no right ever – no matter where you are or what position you’re in – to be complacent, to underrate and underestimate [your opponent],” the Serb told the media.

In his second stint as Orlando Pirates coach, Sredojevic has led his side to three wins over Kaizer Chiefs in four attempts, and now squares off against a man who is also having a second bite of the cherry in Ernst Middendorp, who was brought in as replacement to Italian tactician, Giovanni Solinas late last year.

Two of those three wins are still fresh in the memory of many fans, but the Serb warned his players to put all that behind them and focus on the task at hand.

“With that in mind, we need to erase last year from our memories, and we have one critical reason – my dear colleague Ernst Middendorp’s arrival,” he continued.

Sredojevic and Middendorp will be familiar foes, as they were in charge of the same teams as their previous stints with their respective teams occurred around the same period.

The German took charge of Amakhosi in 2005, before he was sacked early in 2007, while the Pirates mentor barely lasted a season, as he was let go soon after assuming his position in 2006.

“Since Chiefs’ first kick of the ball against SuperSport United until their last match against Cape Town City, we have seen huge strides in a positive direction from the point of the team – their commitment, dedication, hard work, mental approach, physical fitness, and technical and tactical competitiveness,” Micho added.

“Therefore, this is a totally different ball game with a different coach, and the same players want to prove that they are capable to do better than last year.”

Kick-off on Saturday is at 15:30.