Tomorrow’s Nedbank Cup quarter-final match between Lamontville Golden Arrows and Durban City assures the people of KwaZulu-Natal that there will definitely be a team from this province in the final.
These teams will face each other at King Zwelithini Stadium, Mlaza, tomorrow at 6 pm in the quarterfinals.
The Bes’thende boys reached this round after defeating Orbit College FC 3-0 in the Last 32, they passed Stellenbosch FC 1-0 in the Last 16.
City beat Chippa United 3-2 on penalties in the Last 16 in a match that ended in a 0-0 draw.
With its Last 16 match against the team playing in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, Upington City ended 0-0, with no one agreeing to bend the horn, they beat Durban 2-0 on penalties.
The coach of Arrows, Manqoba Mngqithi, said that although this game is important, he does not want to put pressure on the players by talking about winning the title.
“I am happy with the many good things I see in the team in terms of the development of the players. That makes you believe that these boys may have done wonders. However, I don’t want to focus on that and put a heavy burden on them when they are still young,” said Mngqithi.
“If these players do well like this, it gives us hope for the future of the team, that’s more important than expecting a trophy from them. Maybe that’s what will make them feel comfortable on the field because if I want a lot from them, they might play with fear.”
The Arrows reached the semi-finals of this season’s Carling Knockout, where they were knocked out 4-2 by Marumo Gallants after a 2-2 draw.
In that tournament, the Citizens were eliminated by Richards Bay 3-1 in the quarterfinals.
These teams have met once in the Betway Premiership at Chatsworth Stadium in August last year, the match ended 1-1.
The acting coach at City, Pitso Dladla, said that there are many opportunities for them to change the scheme as there are players who have played many games in a row.
“It will be a regular home game, it will be very difficult. We are still planning how we will stop because we played extra time in the recent match between Nedbank and Upington City, closely followed by the league. We have to rest some players and there are many chances that we will include a few from the younger team,” said Dladla.
We know the Arrows are a team with passion, who run the game until the end. They also know how to keep the ball, so everything we plan has to be in line with the way they play. This season, no team from KZN has been able to beat them, so this game is an opportunity for us to change that, and restore confidence in the team.”
Apart from Arrows and City, two other KwaZulu-Natal teams are still in contention for the Nedbank title, namely MaZulu and Milford FC.
Nedbank Cup quarterfinals this weekend
Today: AmaZulu FC v Casric Stars (Moses Mabhida Stadium, 3pm); Sekhukhune United v Milford FC (Peter Mokaba Stadium, 6pm).
Kusasa: TS Galaxy v Jacksa Spears (Solomon Mahlangu Stadium, 3pm); Lamontville Golden Arrows v Durban City (King Zwelithini Stadium, 6pm).