Bucs to go full throttle against TTM

Orlando Pirates tactician Abdeslam Ouaddou has made it clear they won’t undermine amateur side Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) in the Nedbank Cup, vowing to field a full-strength team.

Rampaging Pirates, who are top of the Premiership table, and third-tier side TTM face off in the last 32 of the competition at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday (3pm).

Pirates remained in Durban after Tuesday’s 0-2 league win over AmaZulu at the same venue. “It’s an important game for us. We don’t underestimate any team in this tournament,” Ouaddou told the media at a conference in Umhlanga, Durban, yesterday.

“We are taking this competition very seriously... It’s an important competition for the club. We stayed here [in Durban]. We came with 22 players, and that shows how seriously we take this competition. We respect the opponent.”

The Pirates coach said they managed to gather all the information they were looking for about TTM, who are second from bottom on the 12-team Limpopo ABC Motsepe Stream A table, with five points, 17 behind Mpheni Defenders, who have eight games.

“You can’t say you know nothing about your opponent as a professional club. You have to get enough information about your opponent to prepare for the game, so we have maximum information about that team, and what I can guarantee you is that on Saturday we’ll put out the strongest team to start that game,” Ouaddou stated.

Nedbank Cup fixtures

Tomorrow: Durban v Chippa, Chatsworth (7pm); Vasco v Luthuli, Athlone (7pm)

Saturday: Rocket v Casric, Olympia Park (3pm); Cardinals v Spears, Goble Park (3pm); Highbury v Sekhukhune, Nelson Mandela Bay (3pm); Tshakhuma v Pirates, Moses Mabhida (3pm); Upington v Magesi, Mxolisi Dicky Jacobs (3pm); Arrows v Orbit, King Zwelithini (6pm).

Sunday: Lions v University of PTA, Mxolisi Dicky Jacobs (3pm); Mkhambathi v Lerumo, Harry Gwala (3pm); Galaxy v Gallants, Solomon Mahlangu (3pm); Siwelele v Bay, Dr Molemela (6pm).