Sundowns kick-off Nedbank Cup title defence at home to Stellenbosch

Defending Nedbank Cup champions Mamelodi Sundowns will open their title defence at home to fellow top-flight club Stellenbosch FC at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Tshwane on Wednesday.

Kick-off is at 5pm CAT (SA, GMT+2).

The Brazilians beat SuperSport United, Vaal University, Highlands Park, Bidvest Wits and Bloemfontein Celtic on their way to clinching a historic domestic treble.

Sundowns will be favourites to defend their crown and head into this week's fixture having yet to lose a league match this season and having already beaten their opponents 3-0, at the very same venue back in November.

“The culture at Sundowns is that every game is important, regardless of who we are playing,” said Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena ahead of Tuesday's round of 32 tie.

“At the beginning of the season, we set ourselves targets and principles and one of those principles was that we would take each game as it comes, focus always on winning the next match."

Mokwena continued: "Now we try to focus on Stellenbosch, who we know have not won in their last five matches but who dominated when they drew with Kaizer Chiefs and created a lot of chances against a big side.

“We know that they’ll be difficult to break down because of the formation they play and we’ll have to work extremely hard. We would have preferred a weaker side in the first round but we are up against a strong side, a PSL side who use the players they have to their strengths. We have no room for complacency.”

Stellies bowed out of the Nedbank Cup in the round of 32 last season, following defeat to Maritzburg United and head coach Steve Barker, who led Pretoria University to the 2009 final, has admitted that the winelands club go into the game as underdogs following three straight defeats to the Brazilians.

"We have nothing to lose and everything to gain in the cup match," said Barker. "The beauty about the Nedbank Cup is that it offers you a chance to pull off a giant-killing act. We have to be positive against a quality team with great players. Not many people expect us to get a result, and the pressure is not on us, but Sundowns.

"If we beat them, it will go down as a giant-killing act. We must have a no-fear attitude against a big team like Sundowns. We have nothing to lose. Yes, our record does not look good against them, but runs come to an end, and I believe that we are due for a result against them. We played well against them last season despite losing the games. There is a belief that we can get a win this time."

Players to watch: Mamelodi Sundowns

Peter Shalulile: The Namibia international scored three times for Highlands Park in the Nedbank Cup last season and has made an immediate impact since joining Sundowns in September. He has scored seven goals in 17 matches across all competitions and has four goal involvements in his last two matches, while he also found the back of the net in Sundowns' 3-0 win over Stellies earlier this season.

Ricardo Nascimento: The Brazilian centre-back returned to the Sundowns eleven in victory over Chippa United this past weekend. A calm head in defence, Nascimento also plays an important part in how Sundowns like to play with his passing range and accuracy a real asset in building attacks from the back.

Players to watch: Stellenbosch FC

Marc van Heerden: With three goals, the former Bafana Bafana left-back is Stellies' joint top-scorer this season. Van Heerden not only offers defensive stability, but is a set-piece specialist and a real danger in the final third when making lung-busting runs down the flanks. Sundowns should be wary not to concede any free-kicks in dangerous areas.

Stanley Dimgba: The Nigerian winger's pace could be the thorn in Sundowns' flesh. The Brazilians will in all likelihood dominante possession, making them susceptible to quick counter-attacks and this is where Dimgba could come into play. He has scored three goals in six starts for Stellenbosch this season.