Orlando Pirates defender Tapelo Xoki has seemingly broken ranks with assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi regarding the assessment of their Nedbank Cup final opponents, Kaizer Chiefs.
The Soweto rivals will lock horns on Saturday, 10 May at the sold-out Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban at 3:30 PM.
This will be the first Soweto Derby cup final since 2014 when Chiefs won MTN8, defeating the Sea Robbers 1-0 at the same venue under Stuart Baxter.
Pirates currently hold a significant edge in the Soweto Derby, having won the last five consecutive matches against Chiefs in all competitions. Amakhosi’s last triumph over their bitter rivals was a 1-0 league win recorded in 2023.
During the joint press conference on Wednesday, Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi suggested Chiefs were the favourites for the Nedbank Cup final, due to being “well-rested”. This was after Jose Riveiro’s side was involved in a midweek league fixture against Golden Arrows, while Nasreddine Nabi’s men did not have a match.
“We are not favourites,” said Ncikazi. “Being a favourite is very subjective; it depends on how you look at it. One, Chiefs were the last winners in the cup final between the two teams [MTN8 in 2014], secondly, Chiefs are a well-rested team if you look at the number of games we’ve played.
“We’ve played 48 games and they’ve played 34 games. We’ve played 14 more games than what they have played. So, they are a well-rested team.
“Coming into this week, we were playing yesterday [Tuesday, against Golden Arrows] and Chiefs had a whole week of preparations. So, we do not want to fall into the fallacy of being favourites. Kaizer Chiefs are [favourites].”
However, Xoki has offered a different view. He believes the Soweto Derby throws history and form out of the window, asserting the victory would go to the team that demonstrates the stronger desire on the day.
XOKI COUNTERS NCIKAZI’S CHIEFS ‘FAVOURITES’ STATEMENT
“I can’t speak for coach Mandla. He knew what he was saying, but yeah. For us, we know very well that when it comes to these games, it’s about who wants it more,” said Xoki. “It’s a derby, form doesn’t play, history doesn’t play, but the eleven [players] on the day play.
“So, we have to make sure that everyone who gets the chance to play, they execute their jobs well.”
Xoki further commented that their recent 1-0 league victory in the Soweto Derby would count for nothing when the two sides face off in the final.
He stated that securing a historic Nedbank Cup three-peat would bring great delight for the team.
XOKI SAYS THEY ARE AIMING FOR HISTORIC NEDBANK CUP THREE-PEAT
“It [winning the last Soweto Derby] counts for nothing,” Xoki added. “What matters is who wants it more, who’s hungry enough and for us, we have to tick those boxes.
“It will mean a lot for us to win the cup three times in a row. We would be the first ones to do it. But we don’t look at those things now. We have to play the game first.”
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