After eliminating Orlando Pirates from the Nedbank Cup last month, Motsepe Foundation Championship outfit Casric Stars will now take on Betway Premiersip regulars AmaZulu in a keenly anticipated quarterfinal clash at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
Kick-off is at 3pm (CAT, GMT+2).
CURRENT FORM
Casric Stars were among the biggest winners in the Nedbank Cup Round of 16 last month, after toppling Orlando Pirates to a shock 5-4 win on penalties at the Orlando Amstel Arena on 21 February.
In what was a game largely dominated by Pirates, who have been in sparkling form in the Betway Premiership this season, the heavyweights were often shut out by Casric goalkeeper Wandile Mthombeni during the match.
Their victory over the Soweto giants came after a convincing 3-0 win against Army Rockets in the Round of 32 at the Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenberg on 7 February.
AmaZulu on the other hand, gained access to the quarterfinals following a 1-0 win against Richards Bay at the Richards Bay Stadium on 20 February.
Following a tightly contested affair in Richards Bay, Hendrick Ekstein’s goal in the 53rd minute separated the two sides on the night. In the Round of 32, AmaZulu met Polokwane City at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on 10 February, and the KwaZulu-Natal side secured a 2-1 away win.
WHAT WAS SAID
Speaking after their win over the Buccaneers in the previous round of the competition, Casric Stars owner-coach Bucs Mthombeni reiterated that his side’s immediate ambitions are to gain promotion to the PSL and not necessarily win the Nedbank Cup title.
“You know, with the Nedbank Cup, you cannot say it's only won by the Betway Premiership teams. I think TS Galaxy won it [in 2019 as a first-division outfit]. But our main objective is to just focus more on the league.
"We don't want to now start focusing on the Nedbank Cup. We'll just take one game at a time and it depends who the next opponent is. But for now, we're going to go back and focus on the league.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
AmaZulu: Hendrick Ekstein – Now 35, Ekstein is one of the elder statesmen at Usuthu. Known for his trickery on the ball, Casric will be forced to keep a keen eye on the former Kaizer Chiefs star who has match-winning abilities.
Casric Stars: Wandile Mthombeni – As the son of the Casric coach, Mthombeni was at the peak of his powers against Pirates in the Round of 16 as he pulled off crucial saves throughout the match. With faith repaid to his father, Mthombeni is expected to play a crucial part in keeping Casric in the competition this weekend.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
This will be the first competitive meeting between AmaZulu FC and Casric Stars.