Orlando Pirates head coach Josef Zinnbauer has attributed the Soweto giants’ poor display against Stellenbosch FC to their Caf Confederation Cup game against Raja Casablanca.

The Buccaneers are set to host the Moroccan football powerhouse Raja Casablanca in the quarter-final first-leg match at the Mecca of South African football, Orlando Stadium on Sunday. 

Pirates are coming off a disappointing 0-0 draw against Stellenbosch in a PSL match on Tuesday, and Zinnbauer indicated that his charges were distracted by their encounter against Raja. 

“We have four games left to play in the league and we have to fight for all games and win three points,” Zinnbauer told the club’s media department. “That is always the first target that we have; especially on Sunday, we have a big game and maybe the [players’] head was more on Sunday.”

The draw against Stellenbosch left Pirates’ placed fourth on the PSL standings and it dented their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Caf Champions League. 

Bucs are seven points behind second-placed AmaZulu FC, but the former have a game in hand as the battle to finish in the top two spots in the league intensifies. 

The German tactician feels that the performance against Stellies was not good enough, with the Buccaneers having failed to take their chances in a game which was played at Danie Craven Stadium. 

“It is a big game for the players but it’s not the right way, we first have to play this game and then we concentrate on Sunday’s game,” he added. “Yeah, the result was not good for me, it’s not enough.

“Before the match we wanted three points, this was clear [but] the performance was not enough to win the game.”

Pirates will be looking to grab a first-leg advantage on Sunday with the return leg scheduled to be played at Stade Mohamed V in Morocco’s capital city, Casablanca on May 23.

The Soweto giants are hoping to go all the way and reach the Confederation Cup final for the second time in the club’s history. 

Bucs were narrowly defeated by Tunisian side Etoile du Sahel, who ran out 2-1 winners on aggregate in the 2015 final.