Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro is keenly aware of the psychological dimension as his team prepares to face Marumo Gallants in a crucial Nedbank Cup semi-final at Orlando Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The third encounter of the season pits a confident Pirates side, fresh from a dominant 8-1 league victory over Gallants in December, against a wounded yet emboldened Gallants team that surprisingly defeated them 2-0 in Bloemfontein last month.
Read: Junior Khanye remains unconvinced that Orlando Pirates can win the Champions League
That victory was particularly significant for Gallants, marking a positive start under their new coach, Abdeslam Ouaddou, and momentarily disrupting Pirates’ league ambitions during Riveiro’s suspension.
“We had a recent opportunity to play against Marumo, and that didn’t go well for us – a tough time in Bloemfontein. From there, we had the opportunity to continue analyzing and visualizing them and trying to understand better what kind of a football team they want to be,” acknowledged Riveiro.
Riveiro highlighted the element of surprise in their previous meeting, stating, “When we played them, I think it was after a few days with the new coach in charge, and there was a little bit of uncertainty about what kind of team [to expect] and what kind of game are we going to play there.”
Despite the contrasting league results, Riveiro believes both teams possess a clear understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. “So, the opportunity to learn and understand our opponents is something that is presented to us every week, not only in the games that we are playing against them [Gallants], so we know them very well as well as I’m sure they know us.”
The outgoing boss added, “Nowadays in football, there’s no secrets about what the teams are capable of doing, it’s about the way you want to approach the game on the day and as usual we need to be ready for many different scenarios.”
However, Riveiro emphasized the distinct nature of cup competitions. “It’s a new story on Sunday, it’s a knockout game, It’s a game of consequences. It’s only two possible results; the other games we played were games with three possible results, so it affects the way that one team or the other approaches the game,” the Spaniard remarked.
“This is a different story; it’s a possibility to go to the final. So, it requires a different way to look at the game from both teams, and we already have a decent experience in this type of competition together.
“Again, we are going to try to recover as good as possible in a short space of time to prepare the game as good as we can and do our best to be in another final – whatever it takes.”
Orlando Pirates have a rich history in the Nedbank Cup, having triumphed in the last two editions. Kick off at Orlando Stadium is set for 15h00 on Sunday, 13 April 2025.