Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has highlighted another challenge facing his side in their MTN8 semi-final clash against Sekhukhune United.
The Buccaneers will face Babina Noko at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday, with the New Peter Mokaba Stadium reportedly undergoing pitch rehabilitation.
Pirates, who have won the MTN8 four consecutive times, will be aiming to secure another final appearance as they chase a fifth straight title.
Sekhukhune, meanwhile, are targeting their first MTN8 final since earning promotion to the top flight.
The sides will meet twice in a matter of days, with a league fixture scheduled for Tuesday before the second leg of the semi-final on Saturday.
Ouaddou believes the venue will make the tie even more difficult, with the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium having a smaller, uneven pitch that Pirates have struggled on in previous visits.
“The game will not be easy because we are playing the first game away against a very, very good team of Sekhukhune,” said Ouaddou.
“I think if we take the history in the games, we know that all the time the games against Sekhukhune, all the time there are difficulties, especially when we’re playing in a small pitch.
“But yeah, for us, definitely we want to keep this title. We know that we have two games [and the league].
“We just want to focus now on the MTN8 and we have time to focus on the league game, step by step. But definitely we want to go there to make results with a lot of ambition.
“But at the same time, it’s a game that you have to play very clever, very clever when you play two games like that. We need to be very, very smart because we still have another game at home.”