Orlando Pirates out to defend its dignity against CT City – Monare

Orlando Pirates midfielder Thabang Monare is in a bullish mood ahead of their second-round DStv Premiership clash against Cape Town City at Orlando Stadium.

The Citizens visit the Buccaneers aiming to inflict pain for the second time this term, but the former Bidvest Wits anchorman insists they want to retain the full three points.

Monare said their primary focus is on protecting their dignity because the 1995 African champions are a big club – the match is set to get underway at 15:00.

In addition, the Secunda-born star insists they are not excited about reaching the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup, where they are pitted against their old nemesis, Kaizer Chiefs.

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THABANG MONARE ON DEFENDING ORLANDO PIRATES’ DIGNITY

The nippy and industrious midfielder said a club of the Buccaneers’ stature cannot allow visitors to come to their fortress and claim points easily.

However, he stated that revenge is non-existent as they prepare for the league encounter, as this match comes on the back of a 2-1 loss in the Mother City early this year.

‘Desh’ emphasised that their focus is on maintaining their four-game winning run to ensure they boost their ambitions to finish as runners-up to Mamelodi Sundowns.

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“We are a big team, and we know that City will be determined to complete a double over us after beating us in Cape Town in the first round,” Monare told SowetanLIVE.

“We have to avoid losing to them again. A team of Pirates’ magnitude must not allow teams to complete doubles over them, so we must defend our dignity at all costs.

“We are not motivated by revenge, but what is important to us is to win to maintain our momentum.”

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MONARE SAYS PIRATES ARE NOT FOCUSING ON KAIZER CHIEFS

After beating Dondol Stars last weekend in the Ke Yona Cup competition, the former Jomo Cosmos campaigner said qualifying for the lucrative CAF Champions League remains their mission.

He explained that they will turn their focus to the semi-final clash against Amakhosi once they are done with their assignment against coach Eric Tinkler’s side.

“We don’t want to lose focus at all because that can jeopardise our chances of achieving our objectives. The only way to avoid losing focus at this stage is to take it one game at a time,” he added.

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“Whenever we talk as a team these days, we place great emphasis on only thinking about the task at hand. Now our focus is on Cape Town City, nothing else.

“We will start thinking about the Nedbank Cup when we start the week of the game (against Chiefs).”

Heading to their 26th match of the season, coach Jose Riveiro’s men occupy the third spot with 43 points, and a win will see them overtake SuperSport United.

Gavin Hunt’s men have 44 at number two and will look to claim a victory against AmaZulu on Sunday in Tshwane.

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