Jwaneng Galaxy head coach Morena Ramoreboli believes there is more to Orlando Pirates than the in-form Zakhele Lepasa.
Ramoreboli’s side will lock horns with the Soweto outfit in a second preliminary round first-leg encounter at the National Stadium in Gaborone on Sunday.
Zakhele Lepasa’s red-hot form, which has seen him net eight goals in six games so far this season, makes him an obvious danger man, but Ramoreboli believes that their opponents pose a threat as a collective unit.
Ramoreboli boldly stated that some of his attacking players, such as Thabang Sesinyi, Omaatla Kebatho, and Gilbert Baruti, are equally capable of causing problems for Pirates in the same manner that Lepasa can do damage to his side.
MORENA RAMOREBOLI WARY OF LEPASA, BUT….
“Lepasa is scoring because Pirates’ players are creating opportunities for him. One thing we know about football is that it is a team sport.
“It would be wrong to prepare for the game thinking of Lepasa and forget that for him to score, there are players who do the work and set up chances to put him in those scoring positions.
“Without being arrogant, Lepasa is as good as the players we have at Galaxy. It is a matter of managing and dealing with areas where he would want to play (exploit),’’ Ramoreboli stated.
“We respect him as a player, we respect Orlando Pirates as a team, and we know they have very good players. The most important thing is to try to control the game and take advantage of areas where they are lacking. It is going to be an interesting game,’’ the Galaxy coach added.
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RELISHING THE PIRATES TEST
Although the international break has halted the momentum of numerous clubs, Ramoreboli has underlined that the stoppage has not affected his preparations in a major way, as the club has been using friendly matches to prepare for their Champions League games.
Ramoreboli acknowledges the task and highlights that his players are mentally prepared for the test despite many of them growing up as Buccaneers supporters. “Pirates is a big team. Some of the players grew up supporting Pirates. So, that transition from being a supporter to a competitor needs mental strength. Fortunately for us, our players understand that we would give our all even if we were to face FC Barcelona or Real Madrid today. We would leave everything on the field of play,” he concluded.