Kaizer Chiefs THE stakes will be high between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup final. Photo: ITUMELENG ENGLISH Independent Media
Image: ITUMELENG ENGLISH Independent Media
ORLANDO Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi might as well have been playing mind games on Wednesday when he downplayed his side’s favourites’ tag.
But the reality is that the Buccaneers are under more pressure to win the Nedbank Cup than arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs.
The much-anticipated high-stakes battle of the last silverware of the eventful 2024/2025 season will be played at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday, starting at 3.30pm.
Chiefs have had a very poor season, and since they have not beaten Pirates under the tutelage of outgoing Spanish coach Jose Riveiro, only serious optimists would expect them to win on Saturday.
Pirates on the other hand, have had a great campaign, winning the MTN8 for a third time running, reaching the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League, chasing Mamelodi Sundowns for the league title and reaching the Nedbank Cup final.
They even produced a seven-game winning streak sometime early in the season, and during the month of March, they were subject to conversations about a rare Premier Soccer League quadruple.
It is because of all of those achievements that failure to win the Nedbank Cup title would render their season as ordinary.
One of the men who knows what it means to win trophies with the Soweto giants, well at least with Pirates, is the legendary Edward ‘Magents’ Motale, who captained the Buccaneers when they lifted the Champions League title in 1995.
“No doubt Pirates have an upper hand going into this one. Firstly, Moses Mabhida Stadium is more like Pirates’ second home. You can even call it a slaughterhouse (Ncikazi on Wednesday also downplayed this, citing their 2014 MTN8 final loss to Chiefs, even though the Buccaneers have won seven finals out of the 10 at the Durban venue since 2010),” said Motale.
“Secondly, Chiefs’ morale is very low. They are low both in morale and confidence. Their season has really not gone according to expectations.”
According to Motale, who assured that he will be among the spectators on Saturday afternoon, what makes matters worse for Chiefs is that Pirates are hurting after missing out in the Champions League and probably the Premiership.
“Pirates are bleeding right now after missing out on the league and being knocked out in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Everyone at Pirates now has one focus; to at least win the Nedbank Cup, or else all the good things they did this season will be forgotten,” said Motale.
“If they don’t win it, their season will just be average and Pirates fans are very sensitive.
“Ncikazi, I think he was just playing mind games with everyone, and making sure Pirates players understand that they still have to go out there and get serious.”
Motale, being a people’s person, interacts with both sides of supporters, and those of Chiefs may have hinted at expecting nothing from Nasreddine Nabi and his boys.
“Many Chiefs fans I have spoken with indicated to me that they are not expecting a win, but are going to Durban for an outing. ‘We’ll just go and play in the water (beach). Durban is always a nice vibe, why not?’ It is all up to the players now,” said Motale.
Chiefs are on a mission to halt a 10-year trophy drought and salvage a poor season.
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