Photo Courtesy Orlando Pirates.
Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has stated that his team is under no pressure as they battle Mamelodi Sundowns for the Betway Premiership trophy this season.
The Buccaneers have been in great form this campaign with their latest success seeing them overcome rivals Kaizer Chiefs in a dramatic Soweto Derby last Saturday before triumphing over Sekhukhune United in tricky circumstances in Polokwane.
Pirates have now bagged 12 out of an available 15 points from their last five games to remain six points behind leaders Sundowns, with a game in hand.
Ahead of their blockbuster fixture at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday, Riveiro maintained he was not under any pressure.
“It’s the same pressure since day one I arrived here,” Riveiro told the media.“I’m coaching Pirates, I’m coaching a champion team, I’m coaching a winning team. Everybody is expecting from us to improve the history of the club, to get titles.
“We’re trying, we’re having a fantastic beginning – we are in February, but we can still talk about the beginning of the league because we are at game number 13. But at the same time, we are fighting we are fighting with many good teams – one of them is champions over the last seven years.
“So even though we had an excellent beginning of the season, we’re still some points behind but we’re not gonna stop. We’re gonna keep fighting, performing, hopefully having luck every week to get the result.
“Like I said the pressure is the same as from day one, there is nothing different this season. It’s true that the team is giving right now to the people to think more reasons that we could make it, and that’s a bit new but there is nothing different or new in terms of responsibility that we all feel to be part of this team.”
The Brazilians have enjoyed a slight edge in the past decade winning eight of the 20 fixtures while the Buccaneers boast six wins with the other six matches finishing level.
Comments