DURBAN – Will it be a fourth successive success for a Pretoria side in the Nedbank Cup or will any of Kaizer Chiefs, Free State Stars and Maritzburg United put an end to their dominance?
The cup has been circulating in Pretoria for the past three seasons with SuperSport United being crowned champions for the past two seasons. Last season Matsatsantsa a Pitori demolished Orlando Pirates 4-1 in the final at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium.
That win saw them hold on to the title they had won the previous year courtesy of a 3-2 win over the self-same Pirates in Polokwane.
In the previous year, the country’s premier knockout competition was also won by another Pretoria side when Mamelodi Sundowns beat Ajax Cape Town via penalty shoot-outs in the final.
SuperSport are already out of the competition though and it is up to Pitso Mosimane’s Brazilians to ensure the trophy stays in the country’s capital.
Both semifinals will be played in Kwa-Zulu-Natal (KZN) this weekend.
Chiefs will lock horns with Stars at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night (7.30pm) while Maritzburg will welcome Sundowns at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Sunday (3pm).
The final is scheduled to bring the curtain down on what has been a fascinating and closely-contested PSL season at the Cape Town Stadium on May 19.
Of the four coaches in the semifinal, Sundowns’ Pitso Mosimane is the only one who has previously won the trophy, back in 2015 and in 2004 with SuperSport when the competition was still the Absa Cup. All of Steve Komphela (Chiefs), Luc Eymael (Stars) and Fadlu Davids (Maritzburg) are chasing their first cup triumph.
Besides the R6m winner’s prize money on offer, there is also the reward of playing in the Confederation Cup for the champions.