Jose Riveiro defends Pirates' Soweto Derby record against Chiefs

The two sides will meet at a sold-out FNB Stadium on Saturday (15h00), with Chiefs boasting a five-match winning streak in competitive fixtures against Pirates, dating back to January 2021.

This season alone, Amakhosi completed a rare league double over the Buccaneers, but Riveiro refuses to discount their Carling Black Label Cup triumph in the one-day spectacle in November last year.

"We've played them three times, we beat them once in a penalty shootout [in the Carling Black Label Cup]. The same way you were critical of us when we lost the final [against Mamelodi Sundowns], please don't forget that we beat them once at least," defended Riveiro.

"All three games we played, in my opinions, against this opposition [Chiefs] were almost, pretty much, the same and should have ended probably in a nil-nil – not really good games for the spectators, which is maybe the sad part.

"What I want for the next one is hopefully to show a better version of ourselves – that's what I can try to control, that we play with the passion that we used to play in a scenario like this. It's the challenge for us, because if we do that, I'm sure that we can find that joy."

The last Soweto Derby also produced a red card for Bucs skipper Innocent Maela, which Riveiro was of the view that it was completely unjustified, thereby calling for improved officitiaing this time around.

"In this case, if the game is again so tight – because it's a semi-final, it's a knock-out game, there will be some uncertain moments, and details as in the last time – when we had to play 30-35 minutes with a numerical inferiority," he recalled.

"Probably it should have been the opposition that played with a numerical inferiority for one action after 20-25 minutes of the game, so absolutely the role of the refereeing in this type of games is crucial, 

"I hope the referees are at the level that a game like this requires, [because] in recent derbies it was not like that. So, I expect a fair game, a fair fight, and this time hopefully my team [will be] celebrating at the end of the 90 [minutes]."