Perhaps the stakes have never been this high for Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in a Soweto derby — at least, surely, in the modern era.
Amakhosi take on the Buccaneers in the Nedbank Cup final at a sold-out Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban with much riding on the game for both teams in terms of reputation and bragging rights.
They meet for the second time in successive weekends after Pirates beat Chiefs 2-1 in their Betway Premiership clash at FNB Stadium on Saturday and football supporters are waiting in anticipation to see how the cup final rematch will go.
They go into this clash with contrasting ambitions.
Chiefs are looking to finally lay their hands on the trophy to avoid the embarrassment of going a decade without silverware, which would go some way to rescuing an underwhelming season under Tunisian coach Nasreddine Nabi. That in itself is a huge motivation — surely the bigger incentive for the two teams who take the field in Durban.
With two Betway Premiership matches remaining in their campaign, ninth-placed Amakhosi are struggling to make the top eight, and finishing above last season's worst-ever 10th might even be a challenge, so lifting this trophy would be timely.
Chiefs have lost their last four cup finals to Ajax Cape Town, TS Galaxy, Al Ahly and Mamelodi Sundowns during the nearly 10-year drought — they last won a trophy in 2014 when they beat Pirates in the MTN8 final, also at Moses Mabhida.
Pirates are in the middle of a series of events that aim to to show respect to coach José Riveiro, who is leaving at the end of the season after three trophy-laden seasons at the club.
When Pirates announced Riveiro would not be renewing his three-year contract at the end of the season on April 3, a rare treble was still on the cards in 2024-25 — in the Premiership, Champions League and Nedbank. Bucs have since been eliminated from the Champions League. With Mamelodi Sundowns marching on at the top of the league, Pirates are highly unlikely to win their first championship since 2012 and this makes the Nedbank Cup important for them.
If they don’t win this tournament, Riveiro’s highly publicised last dance will end in a whimper and that is not what they had in mind for one of their best coaches. If they do, they will give the 47-year-old Spaniard, seemingly loved by his players, the farewell gift of a record six derby wins in succession in all competitions.
Ahead of his final Soweto derby, Riveiro urged his players not to be caught in the noise of the occasion but fully focus on preparations.
“We are getting ready after facing Golden Arrows 42 hours ago [Pirates win their 2-1 at Moses Mabhida to keep their fading league title hopes alive] and we are explaining to the players how we are going to approach the game,” Riveiro said in Durban on Thursday.
“We don’t have much time on the training field to develop our game plan, but we are in the right space and it’s a pleasure and honour to represent Orlando Pirates in a cup final. This is what we were looking for from day one when we started together.
“We have worked hard to find ourselves regularly in the semifinal and final. When you are in the final, don’t play the occasion but focus on the game plan. And we feel we can beat Chiefs or they can beat us. To avoid them beating us, we must try to make them play badly on the day while we try to play well.”
From Chiefs' camp, Angolan defender Inácio Miguel said it could well be an advantage for them to go into the final as underdogs.
“Last weekend’s result might make Pirates a bit overconfident and we are well prepared to take advantage of any complacency in their team. We go into the game knowing there is no second chance in a final and we want to show everyone we can do it.
Providing hope for Chiefs is that, while their form has been even more dismal in recent weeks with one win in eight matches in all competitions and one in 10 in the league, they have fared far better in the Nedbank. Amakhosi have scored 12 goals and conceded two in four games in the cup, seeing off tough Stellenbosch FC in the quarterfinals and shocking Sundowns in the semis. Clearly, the awareness that this is Chiefs' last chance saloon to avoid 10 years without a trophy has brought out the best in them in the Nedbank Cup.
Chiefs should also have more supporters in Moses Mabhida, which can also help them. Derbies are also notorious for going against form, and cup finals also are about the team that shows up on the day.
Miguel said previous results such as Saturday's league derby loss don’t count for much.
“All the players are all too aware that the supporters have been desperate to win a trophy for a long time, but we live in the present and can’t dwell on what the club hasn’t done in the past 10 years.
“We have a final to play with a trophy on the line. We have a mission to fulfil and we are totally focused on what is in our hands, what we can do. Right now, that is to bring the cup home and we are working hard to make it happen.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.