Mamelodi Sundowns and ABC Motsepe League Mpheni Home Defenders will close off what was an exciting week of the Nedbank Cup round of 16 when they confront each other at the Lucas Moripe Stadium at 3pm this afternoon.
Home Defenders are the only amateur league side remaining in the David vs Goliath Cup competition.
The Limpopo-based club will be looking to be the giant slayers of this season’s edition of local football’s equivalent of the FA Cup and cause an upset by knocking out the Premier Soccer League champions.
Defenders are campaigning in the third tier.
Sundowns go into the game wounded after suffering a humbling 1-0 defeat at the hands of an in-form TS Galaxy during their Betway Premiership tie at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday night.
This means coach Miguel Cardoso and his side will be more than desperate to return to winning ways, especially after the show that they put on last week when they walloped their league title chasers Orlando Pirates 4-1.
The Brazilians go up against a Defenders side that heads into the match with nothing to lose.
The minnows will naturally carry the underdog tag with pride and look to emulate their counterparts Sibanye Golden Stars who gave Sundowns a run for their money in the opening round a fortnight ago.
Sundowns almost squandered a three-goal lead when Golden Stars pulled back two quickfire goals in the second half, but Cardoso’s side used their experience to their ultimate advantage and ended up sealing a 5-2 victory.
Defenders set up a meeting against Masandawana when they produced an emphatic win by stunning Hungry Lions 3-1.
Lions ply their trade in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, the second rank of SA football.
The Limpopo outfit will look to use Sundowns’ fixture congestion to their advantage and prevent them from scoring an early goal.
The most sensible approach for them to the game would be to sit back, absorb as much pressure as possible, and take the game to extra time – a period where the legs of most Masandawana players would have worn out.
The next step for the remaining eight teams will be announced tomorrow evening when the quarterfinal draw takes place.
