With Orlando Pirates shifting focus to continental football, insiders have hinted about the possible plans for the team for the competition.
Pirates had a good start to the season with an emphatic 3-1 victory over SuperSport United in their MTN8 quarter-final match on August 3.
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The Buccaneers have since shifted focus to their upcoming match in the CAF Champions League preliminary stages against Disciples FC of Madagascar.
The first leg match has been scheduled for this Sunday away, with the return fixture set for next Friday in Orlando.
According to insiders, Bucs will leave no stone unturned in preparing for the two fixtures as coach Jose Riveiro and the team will be looking at advancing in the competition after the disappointment of last season.
Last September, Pirates were knocked out of the Champions League in the preliminary round by Jwaneng Galaxy of Botswana.
Even though Morena Ramoreboli's Galaxy have been the champions of Botswana, it came as a shock for some in the fraternity that the former African champions were eliminated by them in the prestigious competition.
While Pirates managed to force a 1-0 win in Orlando to take the tie to penalties after it ended 1-1 on aggregate, some felt that the Soweto giants lost it in the first leg in Botswana when they were defeated 1-0.
In that game, Riveiro opted to start with some of the players who had not been playing regularly.
The likes of Lesedi Kapinga and Cameroonian striker Souaibou Marou, who has since left the club, were selected to play ahead of the regulars.
While the coach must have his reasons for tweaking his starting line-up, critics would be justified in suggesting that the move backfired as the club's dream of doing well in the competition ended abruptly.
In preparing for the upcoming clash, sources have indicated that the coach is unlikely to tamper with his winning team much.
"But if you check from the recent matches, it has all been about consistency in the line-ups for the team and it's been working. That's unlikely to change. Just check how the team lined up against SuperSport in the MTN8 and compare it to how it was in the final (of the Nedbank Cup in June), and you will see there wasn't much of a difference," said the source.
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Meanwhile, Pirates have confirmed changes to the jersey numbers for some of the players for the competition in line with adhering to the rules.
As confirmed by the club, Patrick Maswanganyi will wear no. 10, which is one of the retired numbers at the club, while Relebohile Mofokeng will be seen with number 3 on his back which was previously worn by Thembinkosi Lorch.
Siphelo Baloni has been handed jersey number 22, while Melusi Buthelezi and Thabiso Sesane have been given jersey numbers 1 and 28 respectively.
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