Marumo Gallants and Mamelodi Sundowns are set to clash in the Carling Knockout Cup semifinal, marking their first-ever meeting in this competition.
This will also be the first time the two sides meet in the semifinal stage of a domestic cup. Catch the action live on SuperSport this Sunday at 3pm CAT.
This is the third overall domestic cup encounter between the teams, following two Nedbank Cup meetings, both won by Sundowns.
Since the 2021-22 season, the teams have faced each other seven times in all competitions, with Sundowns remaining unbeaten (W6, D1). In those matches, Sundowns have scored 17 goals to Gallants’ four.
Their first domestic cup meeting was in the 2021-22 Nedbank Cup final at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, where Sundowns triumphed 2-1 after extra time. Peter Shalulile scored for Sundowns in the 33rd minute, Junior Dion equalised in the 75th minute, and Thapelo Morena sealed the win in the 120th minute.
The second meeting in the 2022-23 Nedbank Cup Round of 16 saw Sundowns defeat Gallants 3-1, with Shalulile netting a hat-trick.
This season, the teams met in a league match on September 24, where Sundowns hosted and won 4-1. Tashreeq Matthews, Iqraam Rayners, Lucas Ribeiro Costa, and Sphelele Mkhulise scored for Sundowns, while Gabadinho Mhango scored Gallants’ consolation goal in the 88th minute.
Gallants have yet to beat Sundowns in any of their three home matches across competitions. Sundowns have won the last five encounters, scoring a total of 12 goals. Six of the seven matches have produced a winner, with the only draw being a 1-1 league result in 2021-22.
GOALS AND PLAYERS
Peter Shalulile is the top scorer in this fixture with six goals, four of which came in cup competitions. Gallants’ four goals against Sundowns have each come from a different player: Junior Dion, Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo, Boitumelo Pheko, and Gabadinho Mhango. In this season’s League Cup, Iqraam Rayners leads with three goals, while Shalulile and Siyabulela Shai have each scored twice.
GALLANTS’ CUP JOURNEY
Gallants reached the League Cup semifinal with a 1-0 home win over Stellenbosch, thanks to a 17th-minute goal by Siyabulela Shai. In the round of 16, they overcame Polokwane City 3-2, with Edgar Manaka scoring the decisive goal.
This is Gallants’ League Cup debut, but a win would see them reach their second domestic cup final after their 2021-22 Nedbank Cup run, where they finished as runners-up to Sundowns.
In the Nedbank Cup 2022-23, Gallants reached the round of 16, where they lost 3-1 to Sundowns. In 2023-24, they were eliminated in the preliminary round by Platinum City Rovers. Gallants also reached the semifinals of the 2022-23 Caf Confederation Cup, where they were eliminated 4-1 on aggregate by Young Africans.
Head Coach Dan Malesela has led a team to the League Cup semifinal for the first time. Malesela’s notable cup achievement was the 2019 Nedbank Cup win with TS Galaxy, becoming the only coach to win the cup with a team outside the top flight.
SUNDOWNS’ CUP RECORD
Sundowns advanced to the League Cup semifinal with a 4-0 quarterfinal win over Kaizer Chiefs, where Iqraam Rayners scored twice. They had previously defeated Golden Arrows 5-0 in the Round of 16. Sundowns have scored nine goals and conceded none in the League Cup this season.
This marks Sundowns’ 12th League Cup semifinal appearance in the PSL era, where they have progressed to the final seven times, winning the competition four times. Sundowns last won the League Cup in 2019-20 with a 2-1 victory over Maritzburg United.
Since then, their most recent domestic cup wins came in the 2021-22 season with the Nedbank Cup and MTN8.