Silvera chases his first goal against Peñarol in Sunday's derby

There's one goal Maximiliano Silvera still hasn't found, and oddly enough, that's exactly what makes him want to find it this Sunday. The Nacional forward has the derby against Peñarol at the Campeón del Siglo on his mind, and he isn't hiding it: he wants to score against the club he came from.

The Uruguayan spoke Thursday in the mixed zone after a scoreless draw against Albion in the 2026 Copa AUF Uruguay, where he was asked point blank whether he pictures himself scoring against his former team. His answer was direct, no hedging.

I'm waiting for that goal I want so badly. We're going to work toward that.Maximiliano Silvera

Silvera went further and made clear he's available for the coach heading into Sunday. "I'm ready and at his disposal to play Sunday," he said, putting to rest any doubts about his fitness ahead of the hottest match of the season.

A derby that carries extra weight

The forward didn't need anyone to explain the stakes to him. He's crystal clear on it, and he said so plainly.

It's the game of the year, there's a lot riding on it. We know how much these derbies matter, and we're also still owed one because we lost the derby at the Parque, but we're convinced we can put in a good performance and bring home the three points.Maximiliano Silvera

That reference to the loss at Parque Central isn't a throwaway line. Nacional has been carrying that result like a thorn, and now has the chance to flip the script on home turf, with the crowd behind them and the obligation not to slip up again in the year's biggest match against their fiercest rival.

For Silvera, there's an extra layer of motivation that can't be overlooked: facing the team that developed him and where he played before joining Nacional always adds something special to these matches. He still hasn't scored against Peñarol since putting on the tricolor jersey, and breaking that drought is exactly what he's after this Sunday at the Campeón del Siglo.

The scoreless draw against Albion in the Copa AUF Uruguay left mixed impressions, but it also gave Nacional's squad a chance to sharpen details ahead of the week's real objective. Now, with the derby just around the corner, all the focus is there: closing the gap in the all-time derby standings, giving the fans something to celebrate, and for Silvera in particular, finally being able to celebrate that goal he's been chasing for so long.