Orlando Pirates' Zinnbauer: We don't talk about next season

Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer says he is not thinking about playing in Caf inter-club competitions next season, but is simply focusing on the “most important” task of winning their next games.

Pirates, who are 10 points behind log leaders Kaizer Chiefs, could earn a Caf Champions League berth if they finish the season in position two.

But they face a stern challenge for that spot from second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns who have played two games less and are four points better than the Buccaneers.

Having been eliminated from the Nedbank Cup, there is still an opportunity for Caf Confederation Cup football for Zinnbauer and his men if they finish in third position, but SuperSport United, Bidvest Wits or Maritzburg United can stop them.

“We don’t speak about next season,” Zinnbauer told the media.

“What we do now is we have a game in every two days and the last two games two points [earned] and not enough. We can speak about the next game and the next game we want three points. That is 100 percent sure what we want and we work on it, then we have to see what will come.

“But you see Wits have less games like us...We don’t speak about the next season. We do what we can. What is most important for me is three points in the next game.”

The last time Pirates participated in Africa was during the 2018/2019 season when they reached the group stages of the Caf Champions League under Milutin Sredojevic.

Now with Zinnbauer in charge, their return to continental club competitions could be complicated as they have failed to win their two league games since the Premier Soccer League (PSL) season restarted.

The 0-0 draws against Sundowns and Wits marked their return to football but saw Bucs extending their winless run to four league matches.

Having also failed to score in their last four games, Zinnbauer would be hoping that his team now makes the most of their five remaining matches, starting against relegation-threatened Baroka on Tuesday.