Pirates take on AmaZulu and Platinum Stars in their next two Absa Premiership matches but have used the mid-season break to prepare for their first African tie in early March.
The Buccaneers have a bye for the first preliminary round of Confederation Cup matches and will play against either URA of Uganda or Elgeco Plus of Madagascar in the second round.
“It is no secret that Orlando Pirates is a big team with aspirations to compete and win on the continent,” Tinkler tells the club's website.
“With our CAF Confederation Cup campaign kicking off in March we have to do our best to prepare the team; it’s an entirely different ball game out there.
“We have to be cognisant of the fact that we have to draw from the experience of the players who went all the way [to the Champions League Final] in 2013.”
Pirates played friendlies against Sagrada Esperanca (Mozambique), Grupo Desportivo Interclube de Luanda, Bilankulu 11 and Petro Atletico (all Angola) during the mid-season break.
Tinkler adds: “We also have new guys that have to get used to the way we play, and also how we approach matches both locally and in CAF.
“We wanted them to get used to the physicality of African opposition; an objective I feel we are well on our way to achieving.”
