Orlando Pirates head coach Rudolf Krol has called on all his players to stand up and be counted when the Mighty Buccaneers lock horns with Bloemfontein Celtic in the Last 16 Telkom Knockout encounter on Saturday.

Krol, who will be looking to take his team all the way following Bucs’ 2-1 defeat to Ajax Cape Town in the final last year, has emphasized on the significance of this weekend’s game.

“It’s a knockout game and there’s no second chance if you lose the match, that’s why it will take mental strength for us to succeed and move on to the next stage of the competition,” said the Dutch mentor.

Pirates’ previous encounter against Bloemfontein Celtic ended in a stalemate however, there will be no points on offer on Saturday – in simple terms, there has to be a winner but Pirates will need to achieve this feat without the services of six regular players who are currently in Brazil with Bafana Bafana. However, despite their absence Krol has expressed his gratification with the preparations with the players currently at his disposal.

“I was happy with our performance last weekend. We played very well and personally I think we should have won the match, however, it’s all in the past and we are preparing for Saturday’s game.

He added: “As for some of our players in camp with the national team, it’s a pity that we have to do without them, but there are players who now have to step up and prove they are capable of taking the team forward. I have no doubt we can go far in this tournament.”