Kaizer Chiefs winger Gaston Sirino said his side will take the lessons of their loss to Orlando Pirates over the weekend in the Betway Premiership, when the two sides face-off in the Nedbank Cup final in Durban on Saturday.
Kick-off at Moses Mabhida Stadium is at 3.30pm.
Chiefs lost 2-1 to Pirates in the first of two Soweto Derbies in the space of a week, in a result that was widely expected.
Chiefs, however, did open the scoring and had they doubled their lead through a penalty which was not awarded, they could have indeed got one over a highly-fancied Pirates outfit.
Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates: A Battle of Form, Trophies, and Bragging Rights
Chiefs are currently ninth on the league table, while Pirates are second.
The gulf in class is also apparent at the moment, as Pirates have four cup wins and two runner-up finishes since 2022 under outgoing coach José Riveiro.
Chiefs, in contrast, have not won a single trophy since they were last league champions in the 2014/2015 season.
“Sometimes we play well but don’t win, but the final will be a different game…it’s a once-off and we know we need to win,” said Sirino.
“Even on Saturday, we played better than Pirates but we lost [after they had scored first], so this time around we need to push more and make sure we control the game better. Sometimes we score and relax, so we need to do away with that.”
Sirino, who won nine trophies with Mamelodi Sundowns in six years with the club before joining Chiefs last year, noted the challenges the Amakhosi have faced.
“I think here [at Chiefs] there’s no…[depth]. At Sundowns, there are too many players, all good players… here, there’s one injury and another player is also injured and the team is short,” Sirino said.
@Michael_Sherman
IOL Sport
