Riveiro Eyes Fourth Final Triumph For Pirates At Moses Mabhida Stadium
Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has expressed his ambition to achieve a fourth consecutive final victory at the Moses Mabhida Stadium when his team faces Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup final on Saturday.
These two Soweto giants will clash at the iconic 2010 World Cup stadium on Saturday [15:30], with Riveiro aiming to maintain a perfect record in cup finals held at the Durban venue.
Pirates have secured the last three MTN8 titles at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, including the “Wafa Wafa” Cup earlier this season when they defeated Stellenbosch.
Standing in their way of a fourth triumph are Kaizer Chiefs, who, like Pirates, last lifted the Nedbank Cup trophy at the same Durban venue in the 2012/13 season after beating SuperSport United.
“Yes, I want it [to win it], not because of the venue, but we want to be champions one more time and same as Chiefs wants to be the champions,” said Riveiro in Durban on Thursday.
“So, it is going to be a tough game.”
Pirates hold a slight psychological advantage, having defeated Chiefs in their last five consecutive meetings, including the Nedbank Cup semi-final in the 2022/23 season that went into extra time.
Furthermore, Pirates secured a 2-1 victory over Chiefs in their recent league match at FNB Stadium last weekend. Should Pirates emerge victorious on Saturday, Riveiro will surpass Stuart Baxter to become the sole coach with a record of six consecutive derby wins in the PSL era.
This derby final will also mark Riveiro’s last match in charge against Kaizer Chiefs, as he is set to depart at the end of the current season.
“I would like to do it again,” Riveiro said without hesitation. “I would like to win. However, this is not about me, not about Riveiro’s record, whether it’s five, six, or my second to last derby. This is a significant game for Orlando Pirates, and it’s an important game for our supporters.
“The responsibility is to try to be our best, but I’m not an emotional person who is thinking about what is going to happen after the match; I’m fully focused on helping my team to be better than Chiefs on Saturday.”
