Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro admits fighting for second place and a CAF Champions League spot wasn’t the original objective for the club.
Rieviro, in his debut season at the club, has scooped the MTN8 title and led them to the Nedbank Cup final, and is just one game away from a return to CAF Champions League football for the first time since finishing in second in the 2018/19 season.
With two former AmaZulu captains Tapelo Xoki and Makhehlene Makhaula within their ranks, he sidestepped suggesting they have a major advantage going into the final game of the 2022/23 league campaign.
“There are no secrets, we all know as much as we want to know about the opponent, it’s about how deep you want to go with your analysis,” Riveiro said.
“We’re going to play one more final against AmaZulu, I’m sure it’s going to be an important game for them too.”
While few could argue it’s been a decent start to life at the Soweto giants, the Spaniard suggested challenging for the DStv Premiership against Mamelodi Sundowns should be part of their season’s ambitions.
“We have some hours to relax and then start with preparations and hopefully, we can fulfill [the task],” he added.
“we play at Moses Mabhida, fill the stadium with Buccaneers [supporters] and we can celebrate the second position.
“It wasn’t our objective when we started the season, but right now it’s a big achievement for all of us.”
Pirates face Usuthu on Saturday afternoon at the iconic 2010 FIFA World Cup arena at 15h00.
