Cape Town - Orlando Pirates coach Eric Tinkler has admitted he will have to rotate his squad in the coming weeks in a bid to keep his players fresh for a number of crucial games.
The Buccaneers face a gruelling schedule as they return to action on Wednesday, October 28 with a Absa Premiership clash against Golden Arrows at Orlando Stadium, before locking horns with Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs at the end of the month.
They travel to Ajax Cape Town at the start of November with one eye on the upcoming two-legged CAF Confederation Cup final against Étoile du Sahel of Tunisia.
"You know when we were using the same players in the CAF competition and also at home people talked about fatigue," Tinkler told Goal website.
"It's true that the players get tired and that's why I think rotation will work for us from now on. Look at our schedule, it is tight right now.
"We are playing Arrows on Wednesday then Chiefs on Saturday then Ajax Cape Town and the Telkom Knockout semi-finals just before the (CAF) Confederation Cup final first leg.
"If you look at the schedule you understand why we need to rest some players and bring in other players and see what they can do.
"Everyone is capable of doing the job for the team, and that is helping us a lot. We are on a tight schedule hence the need for rotation."