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Tinkler: We respect Pirates, we don't fear them

Cape Town - Maritzburg United coach Eric Tinkler has told his players that they should not fear Orlando Pirates when they clash in the Absa Premiership on Tuesday night.

The Team of Choice have been enjoying a good run of form recently with three consecutive league wins.

And on top of that they got past Bidvest Wits and Highlands Park on penalties in the Telkom Knockout.

Tinkler, who coached Pirates between 2013 and 2016, is keen to see his side build on that momentum and keep it going against his former employers.

"It is Orlando Pirates. There's a lot of quality at Pirates. We need to go there and perform and play with no fear," said Tinkler as quoted by IOL website.

"When you are playing against the big three, Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and Chiefs, you don't need to motivate players.

"Playing against these sides is motivation itself."

Maritzburg made a poor start to their league campaign and were floundering near the bottom of the standings, but their first three Premiership wins of the season has lifted them up to ninth place.

"It is good to go there knowing that you are in good form as a squad. In the league, our position has improved. You can go there with a lot of confidence," Tinkler added.

"I think that makes us more dangerous, but at the same time, we need to respect Pirates irrespective of whether they are having a good or bad season. That can quickly change because of the quality they have."

- TeamTalk Media

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