BY MTHOBISI NOZULELA
Cape Town City head coach Eric Tinkler says he doesn’t need to do much to motivate his players as they prepare to face Orlando Pirates in the first leg of the MTN8 semifinals tonight at 7pm at the Cape Town Stadium.
Tinkler says they are fully aware of the Buccaneers’ quality, and will head into the game with lots of self-motivation.
The former Bucs player explains: “The players are obviously aware of the qualities that Pirates possess. They are aware of the status in our country in terms of Orlando Pirates, so they go into this game with lots of self-motivation already. I don’t need to motivate them.”
Tinkler add that his team will attempt to sway the crowd against the Soweto giants, who are anticipated to have significant support despite playing as the visiting team in the Mother City.
He says: “That’s the key factor... it’s all about us getting the game plan right and I think that’s important against Pirates.
“We must frustrate them, because we know here in South Africa we have fickle crowds who turn on our teams very, very quickly. That has to be our purpose, make it difficult against them, turn the crowd against them and we stand an even greater chance.”
The Citizens advanced to the semifinals of the competition after beating Sekhukhune United 1-0 earlier this month.
Orlando Pirates, meanwhile, booked their ticket to the semis after thrashing SuperSport United 3-1 at the Orlando Stadium.