Free State Stars captain Paulus Masehe backs Milutin Sredojevic and Orlando Pirates to bounce back, following their defeat to Baroka in the Telkom Knockout final on Saturday.

The Buccaneers failed to deliver yet another piece of silverware this season, continuing their four-year trophy drought after falling to a 3-2 defeat on penalties at the hands of Baroka in the final.

However, Masehe feels Sredojevic is still the ‘right man’ to lead the Buccaneers to glory in the Absa Premiership this season.

‘I think Micho is a top-class coach and is the right man for the job [at Pirates]. It [the loss] does not change that, they are still a strong team,’ Masehe said.

‘They have depth and are still clearly the in-form side. I think they are looking to win the league. Even though the cup would have been a good morale booster, the main goal for them is the Premiership, where they have shown they are head and shoulders above the rest.

‘They will come out strong against us and we must watch [out] for that. They are obviously disappointed to lose the final.’

Orlando Pirates will now travel to Goble Park when they take on Free State Stars in the Absa Premiership on Tuesday, with kick-off set for 7:30pm.

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