Ouaddou hopes Spain victory will boost Pirates confidence

The Citizen

20 hours ago

'I think it is good because it helps the guys in terms of confidence to end with a victory," said Ouaddou.
Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says the Buccaneers are keen to play at home in front of their supporters after victory in Spain on Saturday.
This comes after Pirates ended their preseason tour of Spain with a 2-0 win over Granada at the Marbella Sport Centre.
READ MORE: Pirates end Spanish tour with victory over Granada
Goals in the second half from Patrick Maswanganyi and Relebohile Mofokeng gave the Buccaneers their first victory in their preseason camp in Spain.
Pirates had lost 2-0 to Bolton Wanderers in their first game in Spain and that loss was followed by draws against Pafos FC and Las Palmas.
Ouaddou says despite their failure to win their previous matches, he always knew that the Buccaneers would turn things around.
'I had all the time the trust from my players and we tried with my staff to give them confidence, to play, to train well, to give efforts and to stay united. And step by step, we finished this camp with a victory,' Ouaddou told Pirates media.
Pirates confident ahead of City clash
Ouaddou added that their victory against Granada would give his players confidence ahead of the MTN8 quarter final clash against Polokwane City at home at Orlando Stadium on 2 August.
'I think it is good because it helps the guys in terms of confidence to end with a victory.
'For me, I was not worried because of what we have seen since the beginning here in terms of training, in terms of football and the aim to go forward to create the chances we had.
'We are going to give some rest to the players, but we are very impatient to go back to Johannesburg to play in front of our fans who are waiting for us. They want to see this new team. They want to see them play, and we can't wait to see them and play in front of them,' said Ouaddou.
Meanwhile, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) has released the provisional fixtures for the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season.
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Pirates are set to kick off the 2025/26 season against Sekhukhune United at home on 9 August.
They will then meet Marumo Gallants away 12 August before they host Stellenbosch FC on 19 August. A week later they will play newly-promoted Orbit College at Orlando Stadium.
Pirates will finish the month of August with a clash against Chippa United at Buffalo City Stadium.
Pirates first five fixtures*:
9 August: Sekhukhune United (H)
12 August: Marumo Gallants (A)
20 August: Stellenbosch FC (H)
26 August: Orbit College (H)
31 August: Chippa United (A)
*These are provisional fixtures and are subject to change