Orlando Pirates captain Happy Jele says they are capable of ‘taking any cup’ as they look to solidify their claim to progress to the CAF Confederation Cup knockout stage.
Pirates are set to face Royal Leopards at Mbombela Stadium this evening, a match considered a home game for their opponents – this is due to them seeking an alternative venue after CAF ruled their home stadium in eSwatini ineligible to host international fixture.
And they come up against Pirates side who are hungry for success, as they seek their first continental title since the 1995 Champions League triumph.
Jele, who was part of the 2013 Champions League final defeat and the 2015 Confederation Cup blow at the final hurdle – believes the current crop of players have the ability to change their fortunes in Africa.
“I think the group that we have, we are capable of taking any cup that is coming our way, it’s just we need to work together as a team,” he said ahead of the game.
“As management, as a technical team and players as well, we need to be one – for us we just need to implement what we’ve been doing in training and get results on the day.
“For me, I think the squad that we have, we are capable of getting anything that comes our way.”
Having lost to Al-Ittihad in Libya last week, Jele stressed the importance of not taking Leopards lightly as they now look to take a firm grip of their group in their third of six games.
“It’s a very important match, the previous match we didn’t do well but there’s a lot of positive things we can look at so we’ll stick to that.
“Obviously it’s going to be a tough game but we’re looking forward to getting some results and in the game, it’s important to us.
“We need group stage points, the more points we get the easier it becomes to get to the next stage. So we need to play our A-game and get results for the team.”
