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Pirates must stay humble

Johannesburg - Orlando Pirates' coach Julio Leal said his team must keep things simple and remain humble as they resume their Premiership campaign this week.

The Buccaneers, who successfully lifted the MTN8 trophy last weekend, for the second season in succession, continue the defence of their league title against Santos at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday evening.

"We have to continue working hard, increasing our playing capacity, keeping things simple and being humble as a team," said Leal.

"Now the focus is on the 90 minutes against Santos and getting three points that will keep us closer to the league leaders."

While Santos have lost all three of their league matches this season, Leal knows the Cape outfit have the ability to ruin their plans with their compact style of play.

"They have a good defensive unit and I think they are a good team," Leal said.

"But we will have to use our full strength and play intelligently in trying to break them down in the game if we are to come away with a win."

Pirates' next fixture is against arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs in a league encounter at FNB Stadium on Saturday - the two teams' second showdown in a week after their tense cup clash last Saturday.

Chiefs' midweek tie is against Ajax Cape Town at the Cape Town Stadium, where they recently beat their hosts on goal aggregate in the semi-finals of the top eight competition.

Midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala said his team-mates would aim at erasing memories of their cup final loss with a boosting win that will see them maintain their unbeaten league run.

Chiefs top the league standings, having won all three of their early season matches so far.

"There is nothing that we can do about our cup loss now, it's history, we have to concentrate on the Ajax game," Tshabalala said.

"What we want to do is to maintain our unbeaten run, come home with three points and then worry about the Pirates match this weekend."

In Wednesday's other fixtures, Bloemfontein Celtic play Maritzburg United at Seisa Ramabodu Stadium and Golden Arrows take on Platinum Stars at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi.

Moroka Swallows tackle Free State Stars at Dobsonville Stadium with SuperSport United and Black Leopards locking horns at Lucas Moripe Stadium.

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