Cape Town - Orlando Pirates midfielder Thandani Ntshumayelo admits their exploits in the CAF Confederations Cup has taken its toll on the team's form in the Premiership.
Although the Buccaneers reached the final of the continental cup, their domestic form has been sub-standard after three losses in six games.
Pirates most recently crashed to a 1-0 loss at the hands of Wits at the Orlando Stadium on Wednesday, while their next fixture sees tham lock horns with Maritzburg United in the Telkom Knockout quarter-finals on Saturday.
"I really don't know what the problem is - even us as players are thinking about the final and we really want to win it," Ntshumayelo told KickOff.
"We played in 2013 we didn't win it, so everyone wants to play and as you can see there are injuries now and we don't give our all when we play locally. That's my opinion.
"We need to start collecting points as other teams are busy collecting points now. What if we lose both cups? The league and the Nedbank will be the only cup left."