Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro is aware of the threat that lower leagues clubs pose in the Nedbank Cup. As a result, he is not leaving anything to chance and will make sure that they do not falter in their upcoming Last 32 match against All Stars at the Wits University Stadium on Saturday.
Pirates know the danger and unpredictability of facing first division or ABC Motsepe League clubs – Maluti FET College sent shock waves across when they dumped the Buccaneers out of the same tournament in 2013. The scoreline was 4-1. It was one of the most embarrassing moment that the club had suffered since they were formed in 1937.
On Wednesday, Dondol Stars caused the biggest upset this year when they knocked out SuperSport United 2-1 in Atteridgeville. The United coach may have chosen a squad with some fringe players but he left the venue with his tail between his legs after the defeat.
“It is a different competition but it comes with the same responsibilities – it gives players in the PSL or in the lower leagues the opportunity to dream,” said Riveiro on Thursday.
“The cup is also the opportunity to have a beautiful night like when we saw that other club knock out SuperSport. Just like in my home country in Spain, the competition is the same and I hope that we will find ourselves in the final. We have played many friendly games with second and third tier clubs and we know what to expect. The players in those leagues are very skillful and they can complicate things for yourselves if you do not plan or stop them,” he added.
Riveiro agreed that they have been studying and spying on their opponents in the last couple of weeks. “We tried to gather as much information about them as possible. It does not matter which league they are playing in. The players are very comfortable on the ball, they have good technique, good individual players in the middle of the pitch, upfront, they can create a lot of scoring opportunities. So, we must have control of the game,” he added.
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