Riveiro gives up on league title, aims for Nedbank Cup

Orlando Pirates coach José Riveiro has once again cast doubt on their chances of challenging Mamelodi Sundowns for the league title, describing them as a “point machine” as he admitted that winning the Nedbank Cup was crucial for them. 

Pirates hope to retain the Nedbank Cup, but before thinking too far ahead, they must beat AmaZulu in the quarterfinals at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday (6pm).

“We can still talk about consistency [of Pirates] until the end of our lives, but that’s not the only thing to talk about.

“We see the top of the log ... you are competing against a point machine right now [referring to Sundowns], a team that didn’t lose one game in the last 40-something games,'' Riveiro said on Thursday.

“You want to go to the past, we can go to the previous season also [where] we got 54 points. Usually, you win the title in SA with 60, right?

“Probably you [the media] know better than myself, so we got 54, but again we are competing with a point machine ... they don’t lose. Probably we are going to pass that number [54] this season.

“You can analyse the reasons why [Sundowns hardly lose], it’s part of your business ... we are trying, but it’s difficult to get close for many, many reasons, but we are getting there.”

As he admitted defeat in the league, Riveiro underlined the importance of lifting the Nedbank Cup.

Pirates have already won the MTN8 this season, meaning retaining the Nedbank Cup would see them win two cups — like last season.

Riveiro has refused to reveal his reasons for saying it is difficult for them to compete with Sundowns.

Winning the Nedbank Cup is “very important because it is an SA cup. The Nedbank Cup is an important trophy and every team that participates in the competition wants to go to the final at least.

“This cup is very important to everyone at the club ... the players, the coaching staff. We are all focused on this tournament and we will try again [to retain it].”