Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has seemingly finally found his winning formula, that excludes two Bafana Bafana stars, whose spots in the Africa Cup of Nations final squad are at risk.
The Buccaneers won their fourth game in five league matches and kept their fifth consecutive clean-sheet in the DStv Premiership following their narrow win over TS Galaxy over the weekend.
After criticism for not being consistent in the league, the Sea Robbers are finally heading into the right direction, largely thanks to Riveiro finding his winning formula.
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The Spanish coach named the same starting line-up for three games in a row after the narrow win over the Rockets, the longest streak this season of the Sea Robbers playing with the same starting eleven.
The changes by Riveiro could come at a cost for Monnapule Saleng and Zakhele Lepasa, in particular, after they lost their places in the starting line-up. Both players have since been named in the preliminary Bafana Bafana squad for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament next month.
Ironically, both Saleng and Lepasa last started for Pirates in the league on 9 September, in a 1-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns.
Saleng's form has dropped significantly, with only one goal in the league and one in the MTN8 so far this season and if he continues to be out of the starting line-up, he will find it hard to get close to the 12 goals he scored last season in all competitions.
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Lepasa's four goals in the MTN8, three goals in the CAF Champions League preliminary rounds and a further three goals in the league saw him score ten goals in the first three months of the campaign
However, the Bafana striker's form has also dipped, as he has not scored in the league since August and the form of his teammate Evidence Makgopa, who has already caught up with him on the number of goals scored in the league, three, could also threaten his place in the final national team squad ahead of next month's AFCON.