Durban - The second half of the current Premier Soccer League (PSL) season gets underway with two Nedbank Cup Round of 32 games on Friday afternoon.
Runaway Premiership league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns face off against Richards Bay in the night game at the Pincess Magogo Stadium in Kwa Zulu Natal while University of Pretoria host Chippa United in the afternoon game.
While Masandawana will be expected to routinely beat Richards Bay, the Kwa-Zulu Natal side will have nothing to lose. They can also take heart from the fact that they have a reputation for being “giant killers” having recorded wins over Premiership sides Kaizer Chiefs, Swallows FC and Maritzburg United in recent times.
The fixture may actually be somewhat challenging for Sundowns given that they last played a competitive fixture in December before the league closed for the festive season and Africa Cup of Nations break.
“The most difficult matches are those where I have to motivate players to fight. When we play Premiership matches, we know that we have to find ways to win. When you play games where you are expected to win, we have to dig a little bit deeper. We have tried to create a culture within the team to win every match be it a friendly, cup game of one against an unfancied side,” said Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi.
Mngqithi is aware that Richards Bay are likely to not show his side respect and play without fear.
“They are doing well in the GladAfrica Championship and are known for beating big teams. Everybody has got the expectation that they will also upset us. It’s not a secret that they are giant killers and we don’t want to come out as another casualty of the giant killers,” said Mngqithi.
Sundowns brought in the likes of Bradley Ralani and Teboho Mokoena during the most recent transfer window and could use the game against Richards Bay to hand competitive debuts to the duo. While Ralani is most likely to be a squad rotational option for the Brazilians, Mokoena has been hailed as a potential replacement for club legend Hlompho Kekana. However, Mngqithi believes that the two should not be compared.
“Mokoena brings goals. It’s important to have a midfield who adds goals and assists. He won’t be a replacement for Kekana. Those shoes are very big to fill. He is slightly different from Kekana. He can play as a number six or eight. We know what he can give to us so it gives us different variations that we can use and try. He scored three goals in a friendly that we played against Jwaneng Galaxy,” said Mngqithi.
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