Orlando Pirates captain Innocent Maela is brimming with confidence that they will exorcise their demons and bounce back to winning ways when they host Golden Arrows on Saturday in their first 2023 home match at Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
The Soweto giants are under pressure to end their winless run. They last won a match in the DStv Premiership on the 11th of November when they beat AmaZulu 1-0 courtesy of a goal scored by Monnapule Saleng.
The poor results undoubtedly thrust coach Jose Riveiro’s credentials under massive scrutiny going into their first 2023 home assignment.
But skipper, Maela is calm and confident the Buccaneers will end the rough patch with a win over Golden Arrows at Orlando stadium.
“As players we are excited to be back home, playing at our stadium. It’s been a good week so far; the guys are pushing hard,” Maela told the media at Rand Stadium in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
PIRATES WORKING HARD TO GET BACK TO WINNING WAYS
“We are pushing hard; we are pushing beyond limits to get the good result we want, a win against Golden Arrows,” Maela said.
The Buccaneers beat Kaizer Chiefs on penalties in the semifinals of the Carling Black Cup before being thrashed 4-0 by Mamelodi Sundowns in the final.
Riveiro’s men wrapped up the year 2022 on a low note after a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Sundowns in the league.
The bad patch continued as they failed to wake up from their slumber, succumbing to a shock defeat against Cape Town City in the first fixture of the new year.
And Maela has admitted that frustration is slowly creeping into the team as pressure mounts from their insatiable supporters.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating that results are not coming our way, but we are pushing ourselves hard in training, making sure that we get the three points in the coming match,” he added
“For us, we are really disappointed that we are failing to win matches but the performances, and there are things that we are trying to implement from practice because we are trying to build something.
They have managed to remain in the top eight but risk dropping to the bottom half on the log standings if they lose to Arrows, who are smarting from a 2-1 win over SuperSport United in their most recent league clash.
RELATED STORY: Former Pirates captain Happy Jele issues come get me plea to PSL teams
