Orlando Pirates tactician Jose Riveiro cautioned his players to guard against the after-effect of the Soweto derby win when they welcome Hungry Lions in the Nedbank Cup at Orlando Stadium on Saturday at 6pm.
Pirates outwitted their Soweto foes Kaizer Chiefs 3-2 in the league at FNB Stadium last Saturday. Riveiro is now concerned that such a win can distract his troops against Lions, who are sixth in the Motsepe Foundation Championship in the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup.
“The distractions after the derby are many. People are still talking about this and that, and it’s normal, but we need to already visualise ourselves playing the next game and put the derby behind us,” Riveiro told a press conference at Nedbank Ya Rona House in Parktown yesterday.
The Spaniard feels the game, being their last before the Fifa break, also complicates things.
“The Fifa break is also coming and players will be going to national teams, so there are a lot of factors and elements that I suppose can be distractive and when you are distracted you don’t compete at your best,” Riveiro said.
“So it’s our responsibility to make sure they are on the right track by keeping them motivated and understand the responsibility for us on Saturday, because we want to be in the next round. We want to defend the trophy, so we must keep our feet on the ground.”
Riveiro emphasised they would never make the mistake of underestimating the Lions. “The opponent may be playing in the second tier, but we know the story about these games [referring to the upsets that have been part of the Nedbank Cup]. So we will approach the game with maximum respect.”
The Pirates coach liked the fact they have more days to prepare, having last played last Saturday against Chiefs. Riveiro also sees the game as the perfect opportunity to undo their flat display against Cape Town Spurs last Wednesday.
“Games are coming in thick and fast, but fortunately we had almost a week to prepare for this one. It’s another opportunity for us to play in Orlando and perform in a better way than the last time we were there in a league fixture [against Spurs].”
Derby win could distract Pirates
Riveiro worried Lions might feed on them in Cup
Image: Veli Nhlapo
Orlando Pirates tactician Jose Riveiro cautioned his players to guard against the after-effect of the Soweto derby win when they welcome Hungry Lions in the Nedbank Cup at Orlando Stadium on Saturday at 6pm.
Pirates outwitted their Soweto foes Kaizer Chiefs 3-2 in the league at FNB Stadium last Saturday. Riveiro is now concerned that such a win can distract his troops against Lions, who are sixth in the Motsepe Foundation Championship in the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup.
“The distractions after the derby are many. People are still talking about this and that, and it’s normal, but we need to already visualise ourselves playing the next game and put the derby behind us,” Riveiro told a press conference at Nedbank Ya Rona House in Parktown yesterday.
The Spaniard feels the game, being their last before the Fifa break, also complicates things.
“The Fifa break is also coming and players will be going to national teams, so there are a lot of factors and elements that I suppose can be distractive and when you are distracted you don’t compete at your best,” Riveiro said.
“So it’s our responsibility to make sure they are on the right track by keeping them motivated and understand the responsibility for us on Saturday, because we want to be in the next round. We want to defend the trophy, so we must keep our feet on the ground.”
Riveiro emphasised they would never make the mistake of underestimating the Lions. “The opponent may be playing in the second tier, but we know the story about these games [referring to the upsets that have been part of the Nedbank Cup]. So we will approach the game with maximum respect.”
The Pirates coach liked the fact they have more days to prepare, having last played last Saturday against Chiefs. Riveiro also sees the game as the perfect opportunity to undo their flat display against Cape Town Spurs last Wednesday.
“Games are coming in thick and fast, but fortunately we had almost a week to prepare for this one. It’s another opportunity for us to play in Orlando and perform in a better way than the last time we were there in a league fixture [against Spurs].”
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