Interim coach Mandla Ncikazi is expected to rest some of his key players for The Rockets clash.
Orlando Pirates will begin life without coach Jose Riveiro when they take on TS Galaxy in a Betway Premiership clash at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday afternoon (kick-off is at 3pm).
Riveiro sat on the bench for his last match as the coach of Pirates when they handed Golden Arrows a 3-0 drubbing at Orlando Stadium on Tuesday night.
ALSO READ: Ex-Pirates coach Riveiro says he’ll always be a ‘Buccaneer’
It was a perfect send off for the Spaniard that came to South Africa as an unknown coach, but left the country as a legendary coach after achieving so much in less than three years with the club.
Riveiro did not only earn the legendary status because of winning five trophies and also finishing second behind Mamelodi Sundowns in three successive league campaigns, but by also making the ‘Happy People’ happy again with his brand of football and turning youngsters like Relebohile Mofokeng into super stars.
In his last address to the media as a Pirates coach after the Arrows game, Riveiro revealed what it took for him to achieve the success that turned him into a darling of Pirates fans.
Riveiro says he is not an ‘angel’
“I’m not an angel. I’m the person that I am because I guess, like you guys (the media) and everyone else, I’m an accumulation of experiences during my whole life.
“I have had a curious life in many senses, but we will not talk about that right now. But I can tell you that I’m here where I am, I am not a former football player. I am coming from the very bottom, and when I tell you the very, very bottom is the very bottom,” said Riveiro.
“I started coaching in the lowest division in my country until I sat here. During that process, I have to do a lot to manage to be at the level I am at right now.
“That process humbled you, and taught you how difficult it is to achieve things in life when you start from the bottom.”
Ncikazi set to ring in changes
With Sundowns having wrapped up the league championship after their 3-0 win over Chippa United on Wednesday and Pirates having secured second spot, the Buccaneers will now be looking to finish the season on a high note against Galaxy.
ALSO READ: Riveiro urges Pirates fans to be patient with new coach
Coach Mandla Ncikazi is expected to rest some of his key players for The Rockets clash. He will use mainly fringe players as their last league matches are now dead rubbers.
