Orlando Pirates can expect a hostile reception during their CAF Champions League quarter-final first leg tie against Algerian club MC Alger on Tuesday.
This follows a rallying call issued by MC Alger coach Khaled Ben Yahia to his players ahead of the match, urging them to grab the opportunity and use it to make history for the club.
Pirates are in Algiers for the first of the two-legged clash with the match set to be staged at a sold-out 64,000-seater Stade du 5 Juillet 1962, at 21:00 South African time, and they are looking to get past the quarter-final stage after making it to the last eight for the first time since 2013.
However, Ben Yahia is determined to make life difficult for Jose Riveiro’s team, who effortlessly qualified for the quarter-final, after going unbeaten and topping their group.
Will Pirates handle the Algerian side?
“It's not a simple league match where you can make up for it the next week. It's a Champions League quarter-final. If you want to make history for Mouloudia [MC’s full name is Mouloudia Club d'Alger], it's now,” Ben Yahia told Algerian outlet Competition.dz as quoted by TimesLive.
“Get it into your heads that a draw or a defeat would put us in great difficulty before the return [leg] to South Africa. We must win this match, whatever the cost.
“You must be at 200% from the first minute to the final whistle. It's not a question of talent; it's a question of determination, mental strength and the will to win.”
The tactician wants his players to take their chances as he foresees a tight game given how Pirates were hard to break down during their group stage campaign.
“When an opportunity presents itself, we have to score. There won't be 10 chances, there might be three or four,” he further said.
MC Alger coach promising ‘war’
“I don't want to see any player lower their heads, any player back down from a duel. You are warriors. You must fight for every ball, press, win back and harass the opponent.
“I want 11 soldiers on the pitch, ready to give their all for Mouloudia. We must play as if our lives depended on it.
“The stadium will be packed and the thousands of fans won't come to see a hesitant or wait-and-see Mouloudia. They'll come to see a team that plays, fights and excels for them. You have to give them a show, pride and, above all, a victory.”
Pirates last won the Champions League in 1995 while MC Alger did the same in 1976, showing the hunger and long wait that both teams are seeking to end.
The Buccaneers get into the match in a confident mood after beating Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 in their last game before the international break.
