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Focus shifts to Nedbank Cup quarterfinals

football12 March 2021 07:55| © Mzansi Football
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Chippa United © Gallo Images

Three of the four Nedbank Cup quarterfinal matches will be played this weekend, with just the mouth-watering tie between Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates scheduled for April 15 due to domestic and continental commitments for both teams. Catch the action live on SuperSport with live streaming on DStv and Showmax.


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But there will be plenty to enthuse over in the coming days, with at least one second-tier side guaranteed a semifinal place. 

Here is all you need to know in your quick guide to the up-coming quarterfinal matches.

 

CHIPPA UNITED V RICHARDS BAY

This is the first meeting between the sides but Chippa United will be wary of a chequered history against teams from the lower leagues in the Nedbank Cup.

Indeed, Chippa lost their first three meetings against teams from outside the top-flight following their promotion to the elite league, going down to United FC (2013), Natal United (2015) and Baroka FC (2016), before finally getting their first win against Witbank Spurs the following year.

Chippa have won both their previous quarterfinals, defeating Jomo Cosmos 1-0 in 2017 and then an extraordinary 5-3 penalty shoot-out win over BidVest Wits in 2019 after the teams had played to a 4-4 draw – one of the greatest ever Nedbank Cup games.

Richards Bay have reached this stage for the first time after going out to Bloemfontein Celtic in the second round on both their previous appearances in the Nedbank Cup in 2018 and 2019.

They have already beaten top-flight opposition this season in the form of Kaizer Chiefs, and also knocked out then-defending champions Free State Stars in the last 32 in 2019.

So their record against DStv Premiership sides reads 2-2 and they will now hope to edge ahead on that score.

Chippa have coach Dan Malesela leading the team. He stunned the football fraternity by leading second-tier TS Galaxy to the Nedbank Cup title in 2019.

BLACK LEOPARDS V TTM

These two sides briefly used to share a stadium in Thohoyandou until TTM packed up shop and moved to Polokwane following the sale of their franchise to new owner Abram Sello.

It may no longer be a local derby, but there are still provincial bragging rights and, more importantly, a place in the Nedbank Cup semifinals up for grabs.

Leopards have been there twice before, in 2009 and then two years later when they reached the final as a second-tier side but lost 3-1 to Orlando Pirates.

It is the second season in a row they have made the quarterfinals, having bowed out against another Limpopo club, Baroka FC, in 2020. The previous time before that was in 2015 when they lost, somewhat surprisingly, at home to Vasco da Gama.

TTM have reached this stage for the first time, having lost in the second round on debut in 2019, their only other Nedbank Cup appearance. 

Their talisman this season has undoubtedly been striker Thabo Mnyamane, who has scored in both rounds and lifted the Nedbank Cup with SuperSport United in 2017.

These two sides have met on five previous occasions, including a 1-1 draw in the DStv Premiership earlier this season.

They also played to a pair of draws in the 2017/18 second-tier season, and met last campaign in the PSL Promotion/Relegation play-offs, where Leopards won both matches 3-1 and 2-1. 

 

CAPE TOWN ALL STARS V PRETORIA CALLIES

We are guaranteed at least one GladAfrica Championship side in the semifinals as these two second-tier sides clash in what will be a first quarterfinal for both.

Unusually, it is being played at what is essentially a neutral venue of the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch.

Cape Town All Stars had not gone beyond the last 32 in four previous attempts ahead of this year’s competition, but now find themselves on the cusp of arguably the club’s greatest ever achievement.

They have been rejuvenated too under new head coach Calvin Marlin and are unbeaten in six games (W4 D2), a vast improvement after a sticky start to the season under ex-coach Dylan Deane.  

In fact, their last defeat was at home to Callies. The teams met as recently as 31 January in Cape Town, where the visitors came away with a 2-1 victory.

Callies are on debut in the Nedbank Cup, having won promotion at the end of last season, though they are a team with a storied history - formed in 1898, which makes them the oldest team ever to compete in the competition.

Experienced forward Waseem Isaacs had put All Stars ahead, but two goals in the final 15 minutes from Khomotso Marebane and leading scorer Pogiso Mahlangu turned the tables in the Pretoria’s club’s favour.

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