With last season's winners of the Nedbank Cup Mamelodi Sundowns out of the competition after losing to Stellenbosch FC last weekend, a lot has been said about Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates possibly winning the competition this year.
The two giants of South African football have been drawn against each other in one of the semi-finals, while Stellenbosch and Sekhukhune United will battle it out in the other.
For Amakhosi, it is an opportunity to finally win some silverware after a seven-year trophy drought, while for the Buccaneers it is a chance to bag a domestic cup double after winning the MTN8 earlier in the season.
For both Stellies and Babina Noko, it is an opportunity to write their names in the history books by winning their first trophy in Mzansi's topflight.
With many predicting that either Chiefs or Pirates will win the competition, footballer-turned-analyst Junior Khanye has a completely different view on how things could turn out.
The Good
"Sundowns has achieved a lot in the PSL and numbers don't lie in proving that the team has dominated South African football for more than 10 years. Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have got history but sadly you can't keep on relying on history. Having said that, those remain two big teams in Mzansi. The club's owner (Patrice Motsepe) is a billionaire and with all his money he has managed to bring knowledgeable people to the club over the years. The team has been displaying true identity of South African football on the field and there has always been a good balance of experienced players and youngsters in their squads for continuity. The likes of the late (Motjeka) Madisha, Keletso Makgalwa and Promise Mkhuma have come through the developments ranks at the club, while good players who added value in the league have always been brought from overseas. I'm talking about guys like (Gaston) Sirino, (Ricardo Nascimento and Denis Onyango," said Khanye.
The Bad
"I think when Pitso (Mosimane) left, there was always going to be issues. Pitso had been there for long and managed to build a proper structure for the team's success. Truth be told, Pitso laid a good foundation at Sundowns and the team has been reaping the rewards of that even after he left. My only concern is that if those that were left behind are going to approach things with arrogance that's where they are going to get things wrong. If they will be trying to prove a point, things can go horribly wrong for the team. But I believe that things are under control and Rulani (Mokwena) is one of my favourite coaches – up and coming and very knowledgeable, and I think he is doing well," he said.
The Ugly
"For me, Manqoba Mngqithi is one of the best coaches in the country and very similar to Pitso with his philosophy. But he was demoted to senior coach position previously occupied which is more like second assistant coach the way I see it. Another wrong decision for me that has been made by the club was allowing Andile Jali to leave. Jali would have contributed a lot in the team's progress if he was there and playing. I know they brought (Teboho), a very good player and with age on his side, but Andile brought another dimension on how the team played. For me, being eliminated from the Nedbank Cup was because of Andile's absence. Having said this, I believe that Rulani is one of the best young coaches we have in the country and he is energetic and will still get things right," he added.
"I Think Sekhukhune Can Surprise A Lot Of People"
"Credit to Chiefs and Pirates for having progressed to the semi-finals but if we can be honest Pirates were fortunate because Dondol Stars matched them pound for pound on the field of play. For me, there was no difference on how the two teams played and you wouldn't tell if one of them was from the ABC Motsepe League. In my view, Dondol was supposed to get a penalty from one of the incidents but it wasn't given by the referee. After what I saw, the standard of South African football is questionable because even against Venda Football Academy, Pirates were made to sweat for their win. For Chiefs, they showed that they wanted it more against Royal AM with their arrogance and urgency and that worked well for them. Royal AM didn't show up because they got their line-up wrong by playing a lot of players on the other side of 30 at the same time. You need energy and balance and their team is not balanced between attackers and defenders. Regarding the Soweto derby, I think Chiefs will beat Pirates although it might go to penalties. But as far as the final is concerned, I think Sekhukhune can surprise a lot of people by winning it," concluded Khanye.
Could Stellies Or Sekhukhune Defy The Odds Against Soweto Giants?
