Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro says this is the perfect time to face their rivals Kazier Chiefs. He added that their aim is to silence the noise from their noisy neighbours come Saturday afternoon.
An edge for bragging rights
The Buccaneers will be going toe-to-toe against Amakhosi in what will not only be a battle for three points, but also an edge for bragging rights when they clash in a DStv Premiership match at the FNB Stadium.
It’s that time of the season again when the two Soweto giants will butt heads again in what is expected to be a sold-out affair.
Pirates dropped points against Cape Town Spurs in their build-up to the Soweto derby on Wednesday. And Riveiro said there is no perfect time than now to meet their rivals in order to boost the players’ confidence. He said this will also restore the supporters’ hope.
A chance to boost player confidence
“I think this is a perfect time [to face Chiefs] because we are coming back from a disappointing result against Spurs,” Riveiro told the media during the Soweto derby press conference at Maslow hotel in Sandton on Thursday.
“It is good to have a game of this magnitude and we don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves. We got to push ourselves to the limit because it is what’s going to be required and demanded on Saturday.
“It’s also a good opportunity for us to prove that we are capable of playing good football. And hopefully we will be able to deliver for our fans and make them believe that we will do well in the second half of the season.”
The Spanish tactician said their responsibility is to ensure that they silence the noise by delivering on the pitch. Especially With the banter from rival supporters already taking place in all corners of the country.
Extra concentration levels
“As usual, when we play these types of games as professionals, we need to exercise an extra concentration level,” Riveiro said.
“It will be difficult because the excitement around the match is big. At the same time, one of the key things for us will be to silence a little bit of the noise. The focus will be to do better — which is to do better and offer a good spectacle to the spectators.”
