After Orlando Pirates had a reality check in the Premiership, Benni McCarthy has offered the club some title race advice.
Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro surprisingly kept the same team that beat CR Belouizdad prior to their defeat against Stellenbosch.
The Buccaneers players appeared to be carrying heavy legs towards the end after their travel to Algeria, following a 2-0 win over CRB in their opening CAF Champions League group encounter.
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Being involved in a title race with Mamelodi Sundowns and with both teams involved in the CAF Champions League, McCarthy says the Soweto giants will have to prioritize which competition they take seriously, as Sundowns are more experienced.
"Listen, I think Pirates have done amazing so far but there has to come a point where you have to prioritize. Pirates have not played in the Champions League for a couple of years," McCarthy told journalists at a Carling Black Label Cup press conference.
"Sundowns have been there year in and year out, they are more advanced than Pirates, the travelling, coming back a day before the match and having to prepare and play in the league.
"So it's going to be tough for them, I hope they have a big enough squad and depth, so they can rotate, because they're gonna have to rotate and that rotation has to be spot on," McCarthy said.
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The former Manchester United striker coach went on and suggested that Pirates will have to protect their best players, during the rotation, if they are to remain competitive.
"When you're at Sundowns, it's continuous, they are a machine. They know what it takes, Pirates will have to deal with that. It's about how much they can keep their best players fit, that's the most important," the Bafana Bafana all-time leading goal-scorer concluded.
