Historic quarterfinal spot at stake for Dynamos and Eagles
Summerfield Dynamos will face off with fellow ABC Motsepe League side Black Eagles in a Nedbank Cup Last 16 match at the Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday.
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Kick-off is at 3pm CAT.
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Dynamos are making their debut appearance in this round of the South African FA Cup having stunned GladAfrica Championship outfit Uthongathi FC 1-0 in the Last 32 clash on February 11.
Since then the Durban-based side has been crowned ABC Motsepe KwaZulu-Natal champions and they are set to take part in the National Playoffs as they eye promotion to the GladAfrica Championship.
Their head coach, Clinton Larsen - the former Lamontville Golden Arrows and Maritzburg United mentor, is not expecting their match against the Eagles to produce a lot of goals.
"I saw some highlights of them in the previous round. I've also got some people to go and watch them play a few league games," Larsen SAID.
"So, I've got a bit of information about them. But honestly, they are a bit of a closed book to us. And it's going to be a difficult game, you know, two teams from the same league. I don't think there's going to be a bucket load of goals.
"But we are playing at home. And we do want to try and impose ourselves on our opponents and hopefully be strong enough to get through to the next round. As I said, it's a great platform for some of our players to showcase what they can do."
Meanwhile, Eagles are also making their first appearance in the Last 16 having secured a 3-2 win over ABC Motsepe League (Mpumalanga) outfit Sivutsa FC in the previous round on February 13.
Having been established last year, Eagles are currently sitting at the top of the ABC Motsepe League (North West) standings as they look to win the title and qualify for the National Playoffs.
Eagles head coach, Kabelo Sibiya, who led TS Sporting to the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals in 2020, is anticipating a difficult game against Dynamos, but he backed his side to win the game.
"It's going to be a very difficult match. We have seen them; they have made huge progress in the cup by eliminating a GladAfrica Championship team in Uthongathi [in the Last 32]," Sibiya said.
"It is a good motivation for them. We are aware they are the [ABC Motsepe League] champions of their province [KwaZulu-Natal]. So it is going to be a very difficult match for us. But equally so, it will be a difficult match for them.
"We have made progress as a club. We are currently the leaders of our [third-tier] stream. We believe that with the type of players we have, and the support we are getting from our management, it should be a game we can win. We are playing well and know their weaknesses."
Summerfield Dynamos: PLAYERS TO WATCH Sandile Zuke:
Deolin Mekoa:The former Bafana Bafana international provided the assist for the winning goal as Dynamos defeated Sivutsa in the previous round. Mekoa, who once on the books of Maritzburg, could be the man propel Dynamos to the quarterfinals.
Black Eagles: PLAYERS TO WATCH Sphamandla Mlilo:
Olwethu Ncube:The 23-year-old midfielder was the hero for Eagles in the previous round as he came off the bench to score the winning goal against Sivutsa in extra-time and he will be eager to play a vital role in helping his side reach the last eight.
N/A – This will be the first competitive meeting of Summerfield Dynamos and Black Eagles.
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