"We are only starting with our preparations today" - Jose Riveiro
By Neo Poho
Following their 1-1 draw against Royal AM on Wednesday afternoon at the Orlando Stadium, Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has revealed that his side will only start preparing for the upcoming Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs on Thursday.
The derby will see the Soweto giants battle it all out in the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup where the winner will meet either Stellenbosch FC or Sekhukhune United in the final on the 27th of May 2023 at Loftus Versfeld.
Speaking ahead of the much anticipated clash during the Orlando Pirates press conference on Thursday at the Rand Stadium, Riveiro alluded that his team will try to push on Thursday and Friday to make sure they are prepared for the derby on Saturday.
"We haven't prepared at all for the Chiefs clash, we will only start with the preparations today[Thursday] because we come from a very disappointing match yesterday against Royal AM so we need to make sure we take the necessary steps first and then prepare for the Chiefs match.
The players are obviously still a bit tired and we need them fully prepared and rested but with the current support from the technical team, staff and our medical team we will try by all means possible to help the players get in shape for Saturday," Riveiro said.
Pirates will also head into the encounter with revenge on their minds after going down to Amakhosi twice already in the DSTV Premiership and Riveiro has reiterated that it will be a different ball game as his side will try to come out victorious this time.
"We obviously want to win the match and advance to our second cup final this season but there are many factors that will contribute to that becoming a reality, for instance we need to work on our mistakes because in both losses against Chiefs, we got punished from our mistakes otherwise I think those encounters would have ended 0-0.
The second derby loss was also a bit unfair on our side because we played with 10 men whereas they also should have went a man down in the opening exchanges of the match, with that said I also hope that the referee on Saturday will officiate the match in a proper and fair manner."
With the Buccaneers having managed to defeat Kaizer Chiefs in the Carling Black Label cup on penalties earlier on this season, Riveiro was also quick to point out that they can defeat Chiefs despite losing to the Glamour Boys on numerous occasions.
"Let us not forget that we have defeated Chiefs this season in the Carling Black Label Cup and that also should make you aware that we can defeat Kaizer Chiefs and the Nedbank Cup semi-final on Saturday will provide us with another opportunity to beat them," Riveiro added.
Meanwhile Pirates captain, Innocent Maela has urged the Buccaneers fans keep the faith as the team will look to end the losing streak against Kaizer Chiefs.
"We know the importance of the clash and how crucial it is to come out victorious and we want to plead with our fans to continue supporting us as we continue our quest for a second domestic trophy, we believe we will be able to put a smile on their faces on Saturday," Maela said.
Kick-off at the FNB Stadium on Saturday is at 15:00 o'clock.
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