Leal says Bucs won't moan about schedule

The Buccaneers, fresh from their 1-0 victory over rivals Kaizer Chiefs in Port Elizabeth on Thursday night, returned to Johannesburg on Friday morning to prepare for the Final.

But Leal, who has had just 13 days with the squad, says they knew some time ago that they faced the possibility of playing three games in a row and planned carefully for the tournament.

Pirates will play their third match in a space of seven days, having played Spurs on Tuesday at Mbombela and Chiefs on Thursday in Port Elizabeth, but the Brazilian is confident that his side will perform well.

“We were the last team to end the season and after one month we had exactly 13 days to prepare,” he says.

“Basically we tried to work on fitness and we had to play two to three games to include some technical and tactical aspects. This was more than the usual pre-season preparation in the first two weeks.

“We are happy because we kept the basis of the team from the last season and just added a few players. We knew in advance that the possibility to play these games was there and we adjusted the control of the volume intensity in a way to have the best performance possible.

“We are currently in pyjama training; that’s bed, rest and food!”

Leal adds that he is in no in hurry to bring in those who were suffering from long-term injuries – Benson Mhlongo, Lucas Thwala and Moeneeb Josephs – although they are all back with the team.

“I think the three players only started training the end of last season; some of them were on the bench in the final games. But they have been a long time without playing and we are bringing in as time goes on. On Thursday we brought in Mabalane and, in time, all of them will be available,” he says.