Johannesburg — Not in a long time has the Nedbank Cup been this significant to Soweto giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.
The Sea Robbers and Amakhosi – along with Mamelodi Sundowns – are expected to win matches season in and season out. But such has been the disappointing run of Chiefs and Pirates in recent years, that they’ve been playing bridesmaid to the Brazilians, who are on course to win a record sixth Premiership title in a row.
So, with Sundowns all but guaranteed another league crown and a return to CAF Champions League, Pirates and Chiefs can only follow suit via finishing second on the log.
But that’s easier said than done. They both face stiff competition from SuperSport United who have been holding onto second spot in the past few weeks.
Enter the Nedbank Cup.
Should Pirates and Chiefs fail to secure second spot in the league, they could still play in the CAF Confederation Cup - if they win the Nedbank Cup or play in the final against Sundowns.
Their journey to the final won’t be easy though. Both Pirates and Chiefs will face second division outfits Venda Football Academy and Casric Stars in the last 16 over the weekend.
And despite being favourites against minnows down the years, Chiefs have bottled their advantage at times, losing to teams such as Maluti FET College, Baroka FC, TS Galaxy and the University of Pretoria.
Both camps should know that they can’t undermine any team this season. After all, Dondol Stars - an ABC Motsepe League side - caused the first upset of the competition this season.
They beat SuperSport in the first round to send a strong message to AmaZulu, who’ll visit them at Tshwane University of Technology Stadium tomorrow. Granted Usuthu are high on confidence after beating Chippa United on Sunday, they can’t afford to be complacent if they want to finish the season on a high.
Complacency might have destroyed the momentum of a lot of teams, but the return of John Maduka to Royal AM has been a revelation for the club as they are undefeated in their last five matches. Their recent win was against Sekhukhune United over the weekend saw them climbed to seventh in the standings.
That’s why they will want to take their momentum to the Nedbank Cup last-16 this weekend when they visit neighbours Golden Arrows, who will look to bounce back after their loss to SuperSport in the league.
Sekhukhune, meanwhile, will want to return to winning ways in the Nedbank Cup when they host a high-flying Cape Town Spurs in Polokwane on Friday. Spurs are second on the log in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, as they eye promotion to the Premiership next season - thanks to the hard work of coach Shaun Bartlett and his team.
Elsewhere, TS Galaxy will have to put their financial issues aside and try to do their best in progressing to the next round of the Nedbank Cup when they host Stellenbosch FC. After all, winning the tournament will go a long way in easing their problems, given that a whopping cheque of R7-million is waiting for the winner.
IOL Sport