“It’s good to be in the quarterfinals of this competition for the third time in a row,” Said the Spaniard.
Orlando Pirates will resume their defence of the Nedbank Cup with a quarterfinal clash against SuperSport United at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday (kick-off is 3pm).
The Buccaneers, who won the competition last season, began their title defence with a convincing 3-1 victory over Richards Bay in the round of 32. They then dispatch Motsepe Foundation Championship side Baroka FC by the same score line in the round of 16.
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In SuperSport United, however, Pirates are facing arguably one of the toughest opponents in this year’s competition.
Bucs coach Jose Riveiro has admitted that it’s not going to be easy to beat Matsatsantsa A Pitori especially in Polokwane.
“It’s good to be in the quarterfinals of this competition for the third time in a row. We’re trying to be ready knowing that it’s going to be a tough game. First of all, because of the place where the game it’s going to be played. Secondly because of the opponents that we’re going to face this time around,” said Riveiro during a media conference in Sandton on Thursday afternoon.
“It’s a knockout game and there are only two possible results there. Therefore, the intention is clear from both teams and that is to be the better team and to go through to the semifinals. Looking at all these things that I have mentioned, it’s promising to be a very good game,” added Riveiro.
Heavy schedule taking toll on Pirates
The heavy schedule is beginning to take its toll on Pirates players and the club has been hit by injuries to key players. Riveiro concedes that it has been tough for coaches to prepare for different competitions.
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“Like I said many times before, the scheduling [of games] is getting to a point when you don’t really have time to train anymore. The time you spend on the field with the players once the competition starts, is not enough to satisfy us as coaches. Results are important at the moment and we’re regularly winning games and that helps a lot for the players to be ready for the next one. It’s so difficult to go through this schedule if you’re not getting good results,” commented the Pirates coach.
Pirates midfielder Patrick Maswanganyi, who missed Wednesday’s Betway Premiership clash against Chippa United in Gqeberha due to an injury, remains a doubtful for Saturday’s clash against SuperSport.
