Pirates coach Ouaddou wary of ‘improved’ Chiefs ahead of derby

“We approach this derby with a lot of humility, not thinking too much about the result of the previous derby,” said Ouaddou,

Ahead of Sunday’s Soweto derby against Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has warned his charges that past results will count for nothing when the two Soweto giants collide again.

Pirates thumped Chiefs 3-0 in the reverse fixture in February, with Tshepang Moremi, Oswin Appollis and Evidence Makgopa all on the scoresheet. They go into this clash at the FNB Stadium as favourites, but Ouaddou says they need to approach it with humility.

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“We approach this derby with a lot of humility, not thinking too much about the result of the previous derby,” said Ouaddou during a Soweto derby press conference on Thursday.

“Sunday is another game, different context, different environment, Kaizer Chiefs have been in a very good shape over the last six games, but we focus on ourselves and how we want to attack that game.

“The players are not playing an ordinary game, it’s one of the biggest derbies on the continent and even in Europe because I get messages from there as well,” added Ouaddou before reflecting on the previous derby.

“It was a very good experience for us, at least in terms of the result. It was the result we expected because we worked for it. We prepared well, and everyone, the players, the technical staff and the management focused on what we wanted to achieve,” said Ouaddou.

Ouaddou’s passionate plea to Happy People

Meanwhile, Ouaddou also made a passionate plea to Pirates fans to rally behind the team, saying they will need them in order to overcome the challenge they will be facing on Sunday.

“We will need everybody; players who will start, the impact players from the bench and our fans as well.

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“Our fans have been fantastic since the beginning of the season. They are our 12th man and we feel that when our fans are behind us, we fly,” concluded Ouaddou.

Kickoff for Sunday’s clash is at 3pm.