"People might think we're not taking this competition seriously, but we do, and we're going out to win this trophy since it's the only one we have not won," Khune said on Wednesday (SUBS: JULY 24).

The Soweto rivals meet in their highly-anticipated pre-season clash at a sold-out FNB Stadium on Saturday, with Chiefs hoping to clinch their first Black Label Cup.

Pirates lifted the two previous editions of the trophy, where fans decide on the teams' starting line-ups by voting for their favourite players.

Khune, who received the most votes for the third year running, was confident his side would claim the bragging rights this season.

"There are no friendly games between us and Pirates. If they win the competition for a third time in a row then they will keep the trophy. We are out to stop that."

The unique fixture would also see fans making the call for the first substitution of the match, limiting the coaches' role.

However, Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter was unconcerned with the starting line-up, as long as his charges pulled off a confidence-boosting victory ahead of the Premiership season.

"I'll admit I did find the format very weird when I first got here, but it still forms a great part of our preparations," Baxter said.

The Glamour side -- last season's Premiership and Nedbank Cup winners --would enter the fray in good form, having picked up the pre-season Gauteng Cup last week. They demolished Bloemfontein Celtic 4-1 in the final in Pretoria.

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers were trying to find their best form again after a dismal end to last season when they relinquished their back-to-back league crowns to Chiefs.

Pirates started their campaign with a lacklustre 0-0 draw against AC Leopards from Congo-Brazzaville, in their opening Caf Champions League Group A fixture last Saturday.

This had not deterred the spirits of coach Roger de Sa, who was confident his charges would find their feet again, starting with the encounter against their Soweto neighbours.

"The result against Leopards wasn't ideal, but there were some positives," De Sa said.

"It was good that we were creating chances even though we failed to convert. I'm content with the performance, also considering that players like Rooi Mahamutsa and Andile Jali were coming off long-term injuries."

Pirates this week confirmed the signing of striker Kermit Erasmus on a three-year deal from SuperSport United. De Sa confirmed the talented youngster would make his debut from the bench.