Jose Riveiro gunning for Nedbank Cup trophy against Kaizer Chiefs

By Nkululeko Dladla
9th May 2025

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro says their game plan is to make things hard for Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup final on Saturday at Moses Mabhida Stadium, as they have done several times.

The Spanish tactician enjoys a good record against Amakhosi and aims to leave the country without a defeat against them.

Speaking at Durban North College on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s clash, Riveiro says they are honoured to be playing in another final.

"Like every other one, it's a pleasure, it's an honour to be one more time in the final representing Orlando Pirates. It is what we were looking for since day one, since we started here together,” Riveiro said.

“We were lucky enough and we worked hard enough to find ourselves regularly almost in each and every final since we started. It's something to celebrate one more time and we don't play the occasion, we focus on the game plan, we focus on the way that we feel that we can beat Chiefs.

“Focus in the way that we feel that they can beat us in order to avoid it, we are gonna try to make Chiefs play bad and we are gonna try to play well. That's the intention on the day and we have already several times together and we want to make sure that we are better again."

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Last weekend, Amakhosi gave Pirates a tough time in the first opening minutes of the game in the Betway Premiership clash by scoring very early in the game, but Bucs turned things around, winning that match, 2-1.

Riveiro says it’s important to avoid a slow start.

"It's true that we need to have a better beginning of the game this time, the way we started one week ago in FNB [Stadium] was too much advantage for Chiefs at that time. So, this time we need to make sure that we are in a better space in the kick off, that we are especially doing the things with more determination so we can make that game to go to the space where we want to put the game early [lead] in the first half and that's probably the thing that we need to do better,” the coach explained.

“Like I said, usually in the 90 minutes, you usually play six, seven different games, and you have to be better than the opponent."