Redknapp prepared for Pirates test
Tottenham Hotspur coach Harry Redknapp arrived in South Africa on Monday in time for his side's second Vodacom Challenge clash against Orlando Pirates at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Tuesday evening.
Redknapp missed the opening match of the pre-season tournament which his side lost 1-0 to Kaizer Chiefs in Polokwane on Saturday -- with his deputy Kevin Bond in charge.
The 64-year-old admitted he had remained in England to sort out a "personal problem" which was a court hearing related to tax charges.
Redknapp was last in the country in 2008 when he was in charge of Portsmouth, who played a few friendly matches in Cape Town.
He said he expected a tough encounter against Pirates, who are the current South African league champions, after a stern first outing against Chiefs on the weekend.
"I think that the opposition in this tournament has been good, and it should be another tough match on Tuesday," said Redknapp.
"I haven't seen much of Pirates but I'm sure they will be good opposition for us.
"But, you have to understand, pre-season is always difficult. We went to the United States last year, and its all about preparing a side for the coming season."
Redknapp said he had watched the match against Chiefs back at home in the UK and was impressed with Amakhosi especially with their Bafana Bafana midfield star Siphiwe Tshabalala.
Tshabalala, 27, has been in search of a European move and spent some time on trial at English Championship side, Nottingham Forest.
"I watched the game on Saturday and liked the player who scored the first goal in the World Cup. I thought he was very impressive," Redknapp said.
This will be Pirates's first official match in the pre-season ahead of their title defence in 2011/12.
They are set to unveil two new signings when Bafana defender Siyabonga Sangweni, bought from Golden Arrows, and former Ajax Cape Town winger Sameehg Doutie take to the field.
Fullback Lucas Thwala also returns after spending most of last season on the sidelines with a knee injury.
Coach Julio Leal, with his assistant Tebogo Moloi, will be in charge for the first time.
Leal recently took over the mantle from last season's treble-winning Dutch coach Ruud Krol and will want to get out of the starting block on a positive note and hopes to impress the team's often fickle supporters.
As a sign of respect for Nelson Mandela, who celebrated his 93rd birthday on Monday, Spurs will use the fixture to honour the former President's granddaughter Zenani Mandela, who was tragically killed in a car accident last June.
Some of the Spurs' players spent Mandela Day with Zenani's relatives and classmates to raise awareness for road safety.
They will wear black armbands during the match while the Buccaneers will don a special kit with the number 93 on their sleeves.
The match at the 45 000 seater venue in Nelspruit kicks off at 8.15pm.