Riveiro unfazed by pressure on Pirates to reach Nedbank Cup semis

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro says everyone expects them to waltz into the next stage of the competition when they play lower league side Dondol Stars in the quarterfinals of the Nedbank Cup at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.

Pirates find themselves playing a lower division side for the third time in the Nedbank Cup, with the Buccaneers having played Motsepe Foundation Championship sides All Stars FC and Venda Football Academy in the first two rounds of the Ke Yona Cup.

Going into this match, Riveiro knows that many expect them to get past the ABC Motsepe League side.

“It is an opportunity for us to progress in the tournament, it is a special tournament and it also increases motivation in the team. We are preparing ourselves as well as possible and we are looking forward to the kick off on Saturday,” said Riveiro.

“There is no extra pressure, it is always there, and I said many times that working for a club like Orlando Pirates there are always expectations and they are high. Everybody expects us to win.”

Meanwhile, Dondol have been a surprise package in the tournament and have nothing to lose going into this game. The club’s co-coach Vincent Rammoni says they remain humble despite being the only lower league team in the tournament and they expect to learn a lot from the Buccaneers.

“We are very happy to still be part of the competition and reach this level. I was not even aware that we are the first team to beat two Premiership sides in the first two rounds. But we are obviously the same Dondol that came in the tournament in the last 32,” said Rammoni.

“We are still humble and willing to learn from Orlando Pirates like we learned from SuperSport United and AmaZulu. We as the club, technical staff and players know why we are at this stage of the tournament and we know what we have been doing behind the scenes. We know things that we have to do to remain relentlessly consistent and we are looking forward to Saturday’s game.”