Gallants eye another brilliant Nedbank Cup run

Last season's finalists Marumo Gallants will lock horns with Magesi FC in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 match at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Tuesday. Kick-off is at 7:30 pm CAT.

Bahlabane Ba Ntwa secured a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Sekhukhune United at home on Saturday as they snapped their eight-match winless run in the Dstv Premiership.

The Limpopo-based side is looking to go all the way and reach the Nedbank Cup final for the second year running having lost to Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2022 final.

Raymond Mdaka, the Gallants assistant coach, stressed the importance of their win over Sekhukhune ahead of their CAF Confederation Cup and Nedbank Cup matches.

"All we wanted was to get a breakthrough and thank God we got the breakthrough. The players did very well and they showed character," Mdaka said.

"They understand where we are [on the DStv Premiership standings] more so because the whole of February we will be competing in the CAF Confederation Cup and Nedbank Cup.

"So, winning this game has relieved our stress and shows that we can do better and move away from our current position."

Meanwhile, Magesi also claimed a morale-boosting 1-0 win over Venda Football Academy away on Saturday as they ended their three-match losing run in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.

Dikwena Tsa Meetse will be hoping to reach the Last 16 of the Nedbank Cup for the first time in the club's history having defeated La Masia in the preliminary round last month.

Clinton Larsen, the Magesi head coach, pointed out that they are looking forward to facing Gallants and that they will be determined to produce a good performance.

"As a club, we are looking forward to this encounter," Larsen, who guided Bloemfontein Celtic to the 2012 Telkom Knockout triumph, told BackPage Media.

"The players are also looking forward to it. It is an opportunity for them to test themselves against a Premiership team.

"They are excited about the prospect and we hope that we can put up a good performance that can make our club proud."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Marumo Gallants:

Lucky Mohomi: The former Mamelodi Sundowns midfield maestro netted his maiden goal for Gallants in their win over Sekhukhune and he will be hoping to inspire Bahlabane Ba Ntwa to a win over Dikwena Tsa Meetse.

Letsie Koapeng: The 31-year-old striker ended his goal drought when he netted his first goal for the team since December 2021 and he has surely regained his confidence in front of goal coming into the cup game.

Magesi:

Manuel Kambala: The experienced midfielder marked his debut for Magesi with a late winning goal against Venda over the weekend and he will be looking to play an instrumental role in helping his side secure another win.

Vuyisile Wana: The veteran forward is Magesi's top scorer this season having found the back of the net six times including one in the Nedbank Cup clash against La Masia. Wana will be keen to add to his tally in Rustenburg.

Head-to-Head stats

This will be the first-ever meeting between Magesii and Gallants who were established in 2021.