Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi says winning the 2025 Nedbank Cup final in the Soweto Derby against Orlando Pirates will need his side to minimise their mistakes.
Nabi won the domestic cup competition in Tanzania twice with Young Africans while losing the CAF Confederations Cup final to MC Alger in 2022/23 and finished as runners-up in Morocco to Raja Athletic Club last season while in charge of ASFAR.
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Chiefs lured the Tunisian-Belgian mentor to South Africa and while their league season flattered to deceive, they are one game away from ending their decade-long trophy drought, while Pirates chase a three-peat of the title.
“It’s true it’s my [fifth] consecutive cup final [as a coach], many people say final it’s not to be played, it’s to be won, that’s why it’s important to insist on efficiency of the team in both ways, defensively and offensively,” Nabi said to iDiski Times about his final streak as a coach.
“Tactically you have to work and try to maximise every initiative you have during the game, either offensively or defensively and you have to take in consideration the opponent but there’s also psychological work that needs to be done, especially after losing the derby and going to the final against the same opponent.
“The players feel they did well to deserve more from the Derby, especially the first half but other than tactical work, there’s a lot of physiological work needed to be better going into this final.”
Added to the mindset of the players, Nabi has called for the minor details to be focused on, which is something the Chiefs players and technical staff insinuated over recent weeks, they got right in the semi-finals when they eliminated Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 at Loftus Versfeld to book the Soweto Derby finale this Saturday in Durban.
“As well as how we see it, for efficiency, you need to reduce, as much as you can, the mistakes, the individual mistakes that can happen in a final game, when you make mistakes, it’s hard to come back from it, because everyone knows the cup is there and if you concede one goal, someone can park the bus,” he said.
“So, it will be very hard, so it’s very important to stay concentrated, stay focused for the game and try to make as least mistakes as we can.”
