Abdeslam Ouaddou hints at Orlando Pirates rotation but warns no freebies
20th February 2026
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With Orlando Pirates still on course for a quadruple this season, head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou is continuing the rotation process to utilise his full squad.
Pirates host Motsepe Foundation Championship side Casric Stars in the Nedbank Cup last 16 clash at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday.
With Ouaddou looking to give some of his regular players a rest, he noted how reserve goalkeeper Melusi Buthelezi got the nod in place of regular first-choice Sipho Chaine against Tshakhuma FC, but stresses that places must still be earned in the line-up.
“When you have such good goalkeepers, it’s important to give them time as well. I can’t actually tell you who is going to play. In the last cup game, I thought it was the right moment to involve Melusi," said Ouaddou.
"He is doing well in training; he is very serious and very professional, and like I told you previously, there is this rotation – it's my philosophy and that of the club.
"But at the same time, you have to deserve [selection], we cannot just rotate players that are not showing anything in training – it's very important to keep focussed and to train everyday like you are going to play.
"Even if you don't play, you must be ready because the moment we call you, you must be ready to compete and deliver, this is the mentality we'd like to instil in our team.
"But at the moment we have an idea about the team that's going to play, but it's not formal and I cannot tell you now who is going to play."
This tournament has proven over the years that the gap between the top and second tiers of South African football is not far off, and the former Morocco international midfielder shared insight into their opposition analysis against another lower division opponent.
"We have a process in our analysis department. We have some very competent people working to get as much information as possible for the technical staff to analyse," he added.
"The philosophy, how they set up, their formation, even if it's a few like, for example, with TTM, we managed to get some clips to watch the games and have an idea about their weaknesses. It's important."
