The Pirates flew to Ivory Coast in the early morning hours on Thursday ahead of the crucial Group C match against the Ivorian Ligue 1 team. Orlando Pirates will face off against Stade d’Abidjan on Saturday. While there is a lot of information available about Pirates’ other group opponents – the 12-time champions Al Ahly and Algerian giants CR Belouizdad, not much is known about the team they will be playing this weekend.
Here are some interesting facts about this upcoming match:
Venue: The game will take place at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, a 29,000-seater stadium in Le Plateu, Abidjan, named after Cote d’Ivoire’s first President. Stade d’Abidjan plays their local league matches at the Stade Municipal d’Abidjan with a capacity of around 1200.
Return to Abidjan: Orlando Pirates are returning to the country where they won the 1995 CAF Champions League with a goal from Jerry Sikhosana. Asec Mimosa got their revenge 11 years later with a 4-0 victory in a group stage clash.
Results:
– Orlando Pirates 2-2 Asec Mimosa (Champions League Final 1st Leg) 2 December 1995
– Asec Mimosa 0-1 Orlando Pirates (CAF Champions League 2nd Leg) 16 December 1995
– Orlando Pirates 1-1 Asec Mimosa (CAF Champions League Group Stages)
– Asec Mimosa 4-0 Orlando Pirates (CAF Champions League Group Stages)
Weather: The match will be played in Plateu, 20m above sea level, a significant difference for Pirates players used to playing at 1700m altitude. The humidity, averaging around 85%, may impact player performance.
Alexandre Lafitte: The 27-year-old French coach of Stade d’Abidjan led the team to CAF Champions League qualification this year and made history as the youngest coach in the competition at 27 years old.