Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has made a bold declaration after guiding his side to the Carling Knockout Cup final.
The Buccaneers secured their place in the final with a 1-0 victory over Richards Bay in the semi-final clash at Moses Mabhida Stadium last Saturday.
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They will now face Marumo Gallants, who edged out Golden Arrows on penalties in the other semi-final on Sunday.
Ouaddou now emphasised the team’s winning mentality, saying that at Pirates, the goal is to win every game, and the Carling Knockout final will be no exception.
“We take game by game, step by step, the target is to win every game we play,” said Ouaddou.
“When we put the feet on the pitch, the target for the players is to deliver a great performance.
“All the time, the target is to win and we are going to final. We usually say the final, you don’t play it, you win it.
“The target is to definitely go and win the final. I think that’s it.”
This will mark Pirates’ first league cup final appearance since the 2018/19 season, when the tournament was still called Telkom Knockout Cup and they were stunned by minnows Baroka FC.
In recent years, however, the Buccaneers have built a reputation as South Africa’s “cup kings”, having lifted five trophies under former coach José Riveiro, and most recently another under current head coach Ouaddou, who guided them to the MTN8 title in September.
