Pirates favourites tag is ‘always’ there, says Riveiro

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro says they must accept that they are seen as one of the favourites to win the Carling Black Label Knockout ahead of their first round clash with Cape Town Spurs at the Orlando Stadium on Friday.

Riveiro says this is not solely based on the club’s recent good run in cup competitions, which saw them win the MTN8 Cup twice and the Nedbank Cup in the last two years.

The Spaniard says a club like Orlando Pirates is always expected to win titles, and it’s a nice feeling for him going into every tournament knowing well that he has a team that has a huge chance of lifting a trophy.

“I don’t think our success is based on our past success (winning trophies), but mainly because we are Orlando Pirates. So, every time we go into every competition, we must accept that we will always be one of the favourites to win the tournament, which is a normal thing,” said the Bucs mentor.

“It is always nice being in a team that gives you the possibility to challenge for every trophy.”

MTN8 morale-booster

With Riveiro heading into the second cup competition of the season having won the first trophy of the campaign (the MTN8), the Bucs coach says the success in the MTN8 has boosted their morale.

“Winning the final early in the season was a boost for us in terms of confidence,” said Broos. 

And it has helped us to understand ourselves and our responsibilities better,  that when a game or competition requires us to be at our best, we can do it successfully, which ultimately makes us a difficult team to play against.” 

Pirates are hosting a struggling Spurs side which is yet to register a win this campaign, making the Buccaneers outright favourites to progress to the next round.