Orlando Pirates are through to the CAF Champions League second preliminary stages after a convincing 7-0 aggregate win over Lesotho side Lioli.
The Buccaneers won the first leg 3-0 away before a 4-0 victory at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Before the two-legged affair, Pirates were favourites to advance from the first preliminary round as they had done so for two consecutive seasons.
The Sea Robbers reached the semi-final of the Champions League last season but were eliminated by eventual champions Pyramids.
Who will Orlando Pirates play next in the CAF CL?
The Buccaneers will play the winner between FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo of DR Congo or Sudanese giants Al Merrikh. St Lupopo won the first leg against Al Merrikh 1-0 in the first round of the CAF CL preliminary round.
The two teams play each other on 4 October in the second leg, where the winner will face off against Pirates.
How can Orlando Pirates reach the CAF CL group stages?
Abdeslam Ouaddou’s men will need to dig deep if they are to reach the group stages of the CAF CL. They might have to visit Lubumbashi, DRC, if St Eloi Lupopo managed to reach the second round. The Congolese side won 1-0 at home in the first leg.
The last time the Sea Robbers played in Lubumbashi in the Champions League, they lost 1-0 in the second leg against TP Mazembe in 2013. Despite the controversy, the Buccaneers still advanced to the group stages that year.
If Al Merrikh advances to the second round of the CAF CL, Orlando Pirates will have to travel to Sudan to play either the first or second leg. Irrespective of which team they play, the Buccaneers will have it tough. One bad game could see them eliminated from the tournament in the second preliminary round.
