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By Tshepo Ntsoelengoe

Football Journalist


Riveiro wants nothing but a win over Stellies in MTN8 first leg

'We are not going to speculate or think that we still have a chance to play the second leg,' said the Orlando Pirates head coach.


Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro sees the first leg of the MTN8 semifinal against Stellenbosch FC as an opportunity to rectify their mistakes, after losing to the Cape side in their opening game of the DStv Premiership

Riveiro’a charges were edged 1-0 by Stellies at Danie Craven Stadium.

The teams will meet once again in the Wafa Wafa last four, this time around at Athlone Stadium on Sunday.

Riveiro is clear on the team’s mandate going into this clash and wants to see his side continue with their good performances, having won three games in a row in all competitions.

“We approach the game with the intention to win the first leg. That’s the way we want to do it. It’s obviously more than 90 minutes (two legs), we will have an opportunity to consolidate our performance in Orlando. But we want to perform in the right way, understanding that we have an opportunity and the capacity to do it,” said the Bucs coach.

“We are not going to speculate or think that we still have a chance to play the second leg. We want to continue with our performances in the league as well. And this one more game where we go into the field with the intention to win.”

Looking at their league loss against Stellenbosch, the Spaniard believes his side played well despite the defeat. However, he emphasises the need to make things right in the MTN8 Cup.

“I think we played a good game like I said several times already against Stellenbosch. But it was good enough to get the result that we were looking for. The (MTN8) draw gave us an opportunity to play them soon and we didn’t have to wait for the second game in the league in Orlando,” he added.

“We have an opportunity to go there again and try to do better and get a good result, which is a win. We just want to be better than Stellenbosch and have the advantage after the 90 minutes.”

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