Orlando Pirates’ Riveiro unbothered by history ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns MTN8 semi-finals

• Riveiro unbothered by Sundowns’ dominance
• States Pirates are hungry for positive results
• Faces Sundowns for the first time since appointment

WHAT HAPPENED? Masandawana have been the dominant side in the recent fixtures pitting them against the Soweto giants. However, Riveiro is adamant history will not have a huge impact when the Premier Soccer League sides face off on Saturday at Orlando Stadium for the MTN8 Cup’s first leg semi-final.

WHAT HAS BEEN SAID: "The past two seasons are not going to play on Saturday," Riveiro said in reference to Sundowns’ recent dominance, as quoted by iDiski Times.

"You can be sure about it, the past is the past, it’s gone. So we try to look to the future with optimism and positivity, and understanding [that] this is a different story. This is a different book this season, and we have the chance to write our new history.

"So we’re just looking forward to today and tomorrow and the next and that’s it – it doesn’t make any sense for me to look at the results from the last time the two teams faced each other, because the players are very hungry and looking forward to it.

"This is what we’re trying to do in every single game, and again, this is not an exception. We’re talking about a semi-final or two legs, Sundowns or whoever is in front [of us], we’re trying to be ourselves, build and grow our own identity.

"What we are trying to do is much more important than only one game, or isolating one game as something very special, we’re going to get an outcome very positive if we manage to beat [Sundowns] and that’s what we’re looking for."

THE BIG PICTURE: Riveiro will be leading Bucs against the Brazilians for the first time since he took over.

The Sea Robbers have lost their last five matches against the reigning PSL champions. In the last four matches, Sundowns have scored 13 goals compared to Bucs’ two.

The last meeting in December saw the Tshwane giants pick up a 4-1 victory.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR PIRATES: After the first leg semi-final on Saturday, the Sea Robbers will be hosted in Pretoria for the second leg showdown in two weeks’ time.