Sekhukhune United veteran defender Daniel Cardoso says they have studied their opponents Stellenbosch FC, whom they meet in the semifinals of the Nedbank Cup at the Danie Craven Stadium in Cape Town this afternoon.
Both Ba Bina Noko and Stellies have surprised all and sundry by going this far in this tournament and will go hard at each other in their quest to reach their first cup final since they both ascended to the DStv Premiership a few seasons ago.
Stellies scored the biggest upset of the tournament when they dumped Mamelodi Sundowns out of the competition in the last 8 rounds. The 2-1 win over the Brazilians has given coach Steve Barker’s boys the belief they can get to the final and even win the trophy.
On Tuesday, the Cape Town side came from Pretoria with a point after a goalless draw against SuperSport United.
Sekhukhune arrived at this stage of the competition after defeating Chippa United 2-1 at the Nelson Mandela Stadium. In their last league match on Wednesday, they were held to a 1-1 draw by TS Galaxy at home.
“It’s going to be an open game, they have very quick youngsters, they know how to score goals but they also concede a lot. They played on Tuesday, and they are refreshed, they will be coming to prove a point and mentally and physically we have to be ready,” said the former Kaizer Chiefs defender.
“As you’ve seen with the quicker teams that play on transition, we mark the space well at the back, we have kept good distances between each. We have studied them, I am sure they have also studied us; it’s going to be exciting. We have players that are very explosive, and we just need to start finishing games off – they are scoring goals and we are missing opportunities that we should convert into goals.”
Cardoso also explained the role of former Bafana Bafana star, Kamohelo Mokotjoo.
“Kamohelo has been great since he came back as you have seen he has not been up to full fitness yet. He missed the game against Galaxy and once he is back to full speed, it will be a different story.
“Resting him was a key thing for us – he sprays passes well and finds the pockets well. I think his experience in the semifinal will help us big time.”
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