Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro is expecting a “tight game that’s going to be defined by small margins” when his side face Chippa United for the second time.
The two sides squared off in the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup last weekend where the Buccaneers emerged as 3-1 victors, with Kabelo Dlamini grabbing a brace.
Third-placed Pirates are currently fighting for second place on the DStv Premiership standings while the Chilli Boys, in 10th, are battling for a top-eight finish.
With just four games of the season to play, and three points separating his side from Stellenbosch, Riveiro has labelled this game as “another cup final”.
Speaking ahead of the midweek encounter, the Bucs boss said in the Sowetan: “I don’t think it [tonight’s game] is going to be something too different from the Nedbank Cup game. Obviously the reward is different. It’s not the same playing to be in the final and playing for three points but for us it’s another final.”
Riveiro added: “We were in a similar scenario a few weeks ago when we played AmaZulu in the quarter-finals and three days later we hosted them in Orlando in the league and it was a really difficult game because after the first game we know them better than before, so I am sure it’s going to be a very, very tight game that’s going to be defined by small margins.”
Pirates have won their last six games but Riveiro won’t rest on his laurels with so few games of the season to play.
“We want to be in the second position by the end of the season and to make it possible, we know that we have to get every point. We can’t have a bad day from now until the end of the season,” the coach explained.