Sekhukhune United captain Daniel Cardoso is desperate to change his fortunes and finally walk away with the winner’s medal hanging around his neck come Saturday evening.
Babina Noko lock horns with Soweto giants Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
Sekhukhune have punched above their weight this season, finishing inside the top eight position, and reaching their first ever cup final.
Speaking to the media at the Johannesburg Stadium on Wednesday ahead of the much-anticipated encounter, Cardoso said winning the Nedbank Cup will mean a lot to him, having previously fallen short with Kaizer Chiefs.
“Another cup final, I’ve been through quite a few [finals] without success and personally, I would love to lift this trophy, not just myself, but the team too” Cardoso said.
“It’s the second season in the PSL for Sekhukhune and I think the club really deserves to be in this position. This is the reason why the club brought in the players that they did.
“No one expected us to be here, and I also don’t want to be known as Daniel da Silver anymore, I would love to pick up that gold medal and I am sure we are confident to do it,” he said, in reference to his moniker Da Silver, which he got from winning silver medals.
The coach Brandon Truter lead side are regarded as the underdogs going into the game, despite having an upper hand against the Buccaneers – having beaten them in the league and managed to hold them to a 1-1 draw two weeks ago.
Midfielder Kamohelo Mokotjo said the underdog tag won’t apply as they can cause an upset on the day.
“The most important thing is to make sure that we keep to our principles. We play intelligently and at a good intensity, where we can cause problems for the opposing side,” Mokotjo said.
“The history that we won the first leg and drew the other is just history. This is the game that not a lot of players will get to play in their lives, so it’s the one where you’ll see the boys show what they are made of, and that is important.”
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