Durban — Mamelodi Sundowns’ pursuit to bag another domestic trophy gained momentum on Monday night after they were drawn against ABC Motsepe outfit Mathaithai FC in the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup at home later this month.
The Brazilians won their first piece of silverware of the season after beating Cape Town City in the MTN8 final last year. Moreover, they are in the inside lane in the title race as they lead second-placed Orlando Pirates by 18 points.
But after progressing to the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup, they’ll be eager to collect all trophies that are still up for grabs locally and continentally. Their Champions League group stage outing also got off to a flyer as they beat Al Hilal 1-0.
Mathaithai will know that they'll have to double their efforts against Sundowns, considering their history in the competition against amateur teams. In March 2012, they thrashed Powerlines FC by 24-0.
Meanwhile, Orlando Pirates will have to dig deep in their encounter as they’ll face champions Marumo Gallants away from home. The Buccaneers are under pressure to win the Nedbank Cup, given that the title is out of reach for them.
Despite the elimination of rivals Kaizer Chiefs by bogey side TS Galaxy, who’ll be at home to Baroka FC in the last 16, Pirates won’t be the only side from Soweto in this round. Swallows, another team from Soweto, will face Royal AM.
Thwihli Thwahla are high on confidence especially after coming-from-behind to beat Cape Town City 2-1 at home. The arrival of Thabo Matlaba, Shaun Mogaila and Mxolisi Macuphu has bolstered their defensive and offensive units.
John Maduka, the coach, also has a knack of doing well in cup competitions, having been losing finalists in the MTN8 and the Nedbank Cup last season with Bloemfontein Celtic - before the team which was sold to Royal AM this season.
The Birds might be struggling in the league as they are flirting with relegation, but in Dylan Kerr they’ve got an astute coach that can do both: save their top-flight status and win the Nedbank Cup. He achieved that feat with Gallants last term.
The full round of 16 fixtures are as follows:
Venda Football Academy vs University of Pretoria
Swallows FC vs Royal AM
Marumo Gallants vs Orlando Pirates
Platinum City Rovers vs SuperSport United
TS Galaxy vs Baroka FC
Sinenkani vs Tshakhuma FC
Summerfield Dynamos vs Black Eagles FC