Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has discussed what the international break means for his side's momentum after beating rivals for second spot SuperSport United.
Pirates reduced the gap behind second-placed SuperSport to just two points in third place on the log after a 1-0 win over the weekend but they will have to wait until 1 April to resume their league campaign against Richards Bay due to the FIFA break.
Read: Riveiro: We Will Play Finals Until The End
Riveiro says although they are proud to send players to different national teams, not having international players affects their preparations during the break.
"It's an opportunity to refresh the legs and mind. These weeks are tricky, we have things to do, things to work on and Richards Bay is coming very soon," Riveiro told the media in a press conference.
"It's gonna be very difficult, we're gonna have a busy end of the month, we have to work now without the international players which is, at the same time we're proud to send players to different national teams, it's a handicap," he said.
However, the Spanish tactician is hopeful that the break will also keep the hunger in the players, as they compete on two fronts, chasing a CAF Champions League qualification and a second trophy in the season after they reached the quarter-finals of the Nedbank Cup with a narrow win over Motsepe Foundation Championship side Venda Football Academy.
"But it's not a month break like for the World Cup. In the end it's not much, we're gonna try to keep the players fit to have our competition at the end of the week, not playing for points," he went on.
"But the players are hungry and they want to contribute until the end. So it's gonna be a moment to maybe take more time with some details and try to come back even stronger than now," he added.
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