Pirates’ Ncikazi shares views on Riveiro, says Chiefs are favourites to win final

Orlando Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi has opened up about his working relationship with the outgoing Jose Riveiro.

Riveiro is set to leave the Buccaneers at the end of the season following a successful three-year stay at the club.

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Having joined Pirates in 2022, the Spanish coach has won five trophies – three MTN8 titles and two Nedbank Cups.

Riveiro still has a chance to add to his trophy collection when his side faces Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday (kick-off is 3.30pm).

Speaking during the Nedbank Cup final press conference in Durban on Wednesday, Ncikazi described Riveiro as a unique individual who takes his job seriously.

“Coach Riveiro is a very unique individual. He’s more than just a coach, he goes further than that. He is highly professional,” said Ncikazi

“He takes his job very seriously. Riveiro is neither too happy nor too disappointed because where there are too many expectations, there is always room for disappointment. I always think that it helps the young players to perform without fear. Whether the results are good or bad, he is still the same.”

“He is professional, prepares well, analyses games, and doesn’t rely on analysts, which is a new trend in our teams. He does things for himself so he can create his game plan.”

Ncikazi says Chiefs are ‘favourites’ to win Nedbank Cup

Meanwhile, Ncikazi has surprisingly handed the favourites tag to Chiefs ahead of the Nedbank Cup final.

This is despite recent history favouring the Buccaneers as they have won four cup finals at the venue.

“I would love for Moses Mabhida to be our happy hunting ground. But history says the last time the two teams competed in a cup final was in September 2014, Chiefs won the game, the MTN8. They were the last winners at the Moses Mabhida Stadium,” said Ncikazi.

“We will give our best shot, but we are not the favourites. Being a favourite, it is very subjective; it depends on how you want to look at it.

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“Chiefs are a well-rested team. If you look at the number of games we have played, we have played 48 games, and they have played 34 games.

“Chiefs had a whole week of preparations. We don’t want to fall into the fallacy of thinking that we are the favourites, we are not, but Chiefs are the favourites,” concluded Ncikazi.