The Carling Knockout will be resuming on Saturday, with eight teams set to be in action, including cup specialists Orlando Pirates and league kings Mamelodi Sundowns.
Durban City have already secured their spot in the Carling Knockout quarterfinals, after their hard-fought 4-1 win over Polokwane City in extra-time at the Chatsworth Stadium on Friday night.
Defender Fezile Gcaba scored a hattrick and bagged himself a hefty R100 000 Man of the Match cheque for an impressive performance.
Debutants against the tried and tested
The Carling Knockout Saturday fixtures will see newly promoted Orbit College host TS Galaxy at the Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenburg, while Pirates will welcome Siwelele FC at Orlando Stadium. Both matches will kick ff at 3pm.
Golden Arrows will collide with Sekhukhune United at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban at 6pm, with Sundowns and Marumo Gallants are set to wrap it up at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in a 8pm kick-off.
Having lost in the final of the knockout competition last season to Magesi FC, Masandawana coach Miguel Cardoso said he acknowledges the demands that come with coaching Sundowns, which is to strive to win every cup competition.
“Obviously, another competition that we will start to play, and the expectations are always on the same level as the demands,” Cardoso said ahead of the game.
“Being Mamelodi Sundowns, we have the obligation to fight to win all the competitions, and that is the thought that we have in mind.
“We all know that Marumo Gallants hasn’t lost to us, [Orlando] Pirates, and [Kaizer] Chiefs this season, so we expect a tough opponent, but we are preparing the best way.
“We need to be different from what we were, be much more aggressive, control the game, and play a different match.”
Bucs’ cup voodoo
The Buccaneers, on the other hand, have historically struggled in knockout competitions, having last won it in 2012.
Bucs coach Abdeslam Ouaddou also said there is pressure on his side to deliver the elusive trophy, but he will take the pressure as something to be positive about.
“I think there’s always pressure in everything that you do; if you don’t feel that pressure, it means you don’t make sense in what you are doing. This pressure must be positive,” Ouaddou said.
“As long as you don’t have this pressure to do good and to do your best, I think you have to stop coaching; the pressure is always here, but you need to transform it into positive pressure,” he added.
