Orlando Pirates legend Gavin Lane says he was always confident The Buccaneers would progress to the next stage of the Nedbank Cup despite missing three of their influential players against AmaZulu FC.
The Buccaneers were without Tapelo Xoki and Nkosinathi Sibisi against Usuthu in the quarter-finals of the Nedbank Cup on Saturday due to suspension.
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To make matters worse, another centre-back, in Olisa Ndah, also missed out as he is currently nursing an injury.
In the end, though, Jose Riveiro's men prevailed with a 4-2 scoreline, with the duo of Thabiso Sesane and captain Innocent Maela holding the fort in the heart of defence.
"Look, they [have] got a squad Pirates, and a squad that should be able to perform," Lane reflects, speaking to KickOff.
"In our days, we had a squad of 18 players, so it was sort of difficult when we had three or four injuries. But nowadays, they [have] got a squad of 35 to 40 players, and they are all getting paid well.
"As a player you want to play regularly, it [the unavailability of the trio] was never going to be a problem for a big side like Pirates.
"I played some beach soccer the other day with Siya Sangweni and Mark Fish and we were talking about it. But that's the way modern soccer goes.
"In our days we had a structure, but nowadays sometimes people look like they are out of position.
"Young guns like AmaZulu are always a threat. If you're playing for Orlando Pirates, they are always going to try to raise their game to beat you, so every game is very difficult."
"Beating Pirates, it's a huge thing for an AmaZulu player, but I always maintained that Pirates would go all the way. They are currently structured and they understand what the coach expects from them," adds the man nicknamed "Stability" during his playing days.
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The Soweto giants now have Chippa United standing between them and a place in the final.
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