Riveiro cautioned his team that they must play the match and avoid being overwhelmed by the occasion.
“Like every other final, it's pressure and it's normal to be one more time in the final. It's what we were looking for since day one. We worked hard enough to find ourselves to be regularly in every final since we started.
“We won't play the occasion, but we'll focus on the game plan and we feel we can beat Chiefs if we're focusing on the game. We're going to try to make Chiefs play poorly and we play well. That's the intention on the day and we did it already several times [five] together and we want to make sure we're ready.”
The Pirates coach added it doesn't matter that they played and beat Chiefs 2-1 in the league last weekend in a game he admitted they started in a slow gear but improved in the second half.
“There's no time to think about how many times or when last we played them. We played [Lamontville Golden] Arrows two days ago and we have to play them again [on Tuesday], it's fine. As long as we have things to play for, we're happy, and we know if it's difficult it's the same for the opponent as well, so there's no excuse.”
Riveiro won the three MTN8 trophies at Moses Mabhida and if he wins the Nedbank on Saturday it will be the fourth time he wins a cup final at Durban's iconic stadium.
The Spaniard is renowned for his calmness and says if his demeanour can help his players focus on the match they'll stand a good chance to beat Chiefs for the sixth consecutive time on Saturday.
“We want to be the winning team at the end of the 90 minutes and I have my own way of doing things, my personality. If that personality transpires and helps the players to be more confident, it's my job in the end.
“My job is to make them play football and have a belief we can do certain things that are going to help us win a match. We're used to doing it that way and it's not going to be different this time.”
'It's not about me': Riveiro on cusp of scoring most wins in Soweto derby
Jose Riveiro has tried to downplay what it will mean for him to leave South Africa having become the first coach to win six successive Soweto derbies if he guides Orlando Pirates to victory against Kaizer Chiefs in Durban on Saturday.
It's been a remarkable three years for the Spanish mentor whose arrival in South Africa was greeted with some scepticism as he hadn't won a trophy before he was unveiled as a Pirates coach.
Riveiro has admitted his life will never be same and he may one day come back to Pirates to perhaps accomplish what he couldn't: win the league title and a Caf Champions League trophy.
The Pirates coach would be correct to expect his players to give him a resounding farewell by beating Chiefs to win the Nedbank Cup for the third time in a row — the same as they've done with the MTN8.
But speaking in Durban before the final, Riveiro insisted the match is not about him and the records he stands to put next to his name if Pirates win.
“I would like to win but it's not for me. It's not about Riveiro and the records of five or six. It's an important one for Orlando Pirates and the fans and our responsibility is to try to do our best. I'm not an emotional person who thinks about what's going to happen after the match. I'm focused on helping my team to be better than Chiefs on Saturday.”
Riveiro cautioned his team that they must play the match and avoid being overwhelmed by the occasion.
“Like every other final, it's pressure and it's normal to be one more time in the final. It's what we were looking for since day one. We worked hard enough to find ourselves to be regularly in every final since we started.
“We won't play the occasion, but we'll focus on the game plan and we feel we can beat Chiefs if we're focusing on the game. We're going to try to make Chiefs play poorly and we play well. That's the intention on the day and we did it already several times [five] together and we want to make sure we're ready.”
The Pirates coach added it doesn't matter that they played and beat Chiefs 2-1 in the league last weekend in a game he admitted they started in a slow gear but improved in the second half.
“There's no time to think about how many times or when last we played them. We played [Lamontville Golden] Arrows two days ago and we have to play them again [on Tuesday], it's fine. As long as we have things to play for, we're happy, and we know if it's difficult it's the same for the opponent as well, so there's no excuse.”
Riveiro won the three MTN8 trophies at Moses Mabhida and if he wins the Nedbank on Saturday it will be the fourth time he wins a cup final at Durban's iconic stadium.
The Spaniard is renowned for his calmness and says if his demeanour can help his players focus on the match they'll stand a good chance to beat Chiefs for the sixth consecutive time on Saturday.
“We want to be the winning team at the end of the 90 minutes and I have my own way of doing things, my personality. If that personality transpires and helps the players to be more confident, it's my job in the end.
“My job is to make them play football and have a belief we can do certain things that are going to help us win a match. We're used to doing it that way and it's not going to be different this time.”
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