Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro says that they are not worried about the longer rest period that their opponents Kaizer Chiefs would have enjoyed going into the much-awaited Soweto Derby at the FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Chiefs last played on Monday while Bucs played on Wednesday night.
The Buccaneers will face the wounded Amakhosi who were nailed 1-0 by Swallows FC on Monday. Chiefs always rise to the occasion, especially when they are handed the underdogs tag. Pirates have lost their last official five derbies against their perennial rivals and they will be very eager to turn things around.
Before their 1-1 draw against Royal AM at the Orlando Stadium on Wednesday night, Bucs had been unstoppable with six wins on the trot. But their momentum was halted by a late equaliser from their former player Menzi Masuku.
“It would be nice to play such a game like this under the same circumstances,” said the Pirates coach. “The game in South Africa gets more intense in the last 20 minutes. If we could chose, we could ask for the same number of days to rest – but if we complain about that after the game it is going to sound like we are making excuses.”
“We will make sure and do everything in our powers to make sure that the players are ready because we have the opportunity to find ourselves in the final of the tournament. The biggest motivation is that we will get a chance to play in the biggest level – if you want to do something or achieve something, even if you are tired, you will go for it win it. So, the number of rest days will not be an issue going into the match,” added Riveiro.
Pirates skipper Innocent Maela said that they will not dwell on previous results of the Soweto derby and that their focus was on Saturday’s encounter. “We will compete to the best of our ability. We will not even think about our past matches. We have an opportunity to reach the finals and we just have to follow our coach’s instructions. We just have to make sure that we want it more than Chiefs, and that way we will be highly motivated,” said Maela.
Maela was red-carded in the last derby encounter after he took one for the team with a rough tackle on the goal-bound Chiefs striker Christian Saile. The tackle saved the team from conceding a goal and the captain went for an early shower.
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