The remaining four teams in the Nedbank Cup each now imagine making their way to the bank to cash in on the R7 million prize at stake. The eagerly awaited action-packed weekend of football is set to start in Gqeberha on Saturday where Chippa United will aim to make history by reaching their second final in three years and possibly win it, having lost the 2021 edition to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila. The Chilli Boys will host current holders Orlando Pirates, who will be aiming for history of their own, by defending the title under coach Jose Riveiro. The following day won't be short of any entertainment as in-form Stellenbosch FC will be on a mission of their own to write their name on the history books by winning the domestic Cup double this season, having already won the inaugural Carling Knockout in December.
The Winelands' outfit does know, however, that the task en route to reaching their second cup final won't be easy as they need to go past the African Football League champions Mamelodi Sundowns in Stellenbosch. While the remaining league fixtures are as important for all four teams, all of that will be forgotten this weekend as the trip to the majestic Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga for the 2023/24 Nedbank Cup final on 01 June 2024 will be on their minds. In anticipation of this weekend's matches, Soccer Laduma's Masebe Qina spoke to a few people about each team's chances of reaching the final or even winning the Cup.
Chippa United v Orlando Pirates
Saturday, 4 May, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, 15:00
In the first semi-final, Chippa United will host Orlando Pirates, who are scoring goals for fun of late. In April alone, the Buccaneers netted 17 goals in five matches. Jose Riveiro has his side looking potent going forward and since he took over, they have scored four (or more) goals in a match on nine occasions. Across all competitions, the Sea Robbers are averaging 1.70 goals scored per game, their highest scoring rate since the 2004-05 season. Before going to Cape Town City on Wednesday afternoon, they were on a streak of just one loss in 12 matches. Chippa, on the other hand, have lost 15 of their 22 previous meetings vs Pirates and haven't won at home against the Buccaneers since 2016. Prior to losing 2-1 at AmaZulu last weekend, the Chilli Boys had won 2-0 in four successive fixtures to climb clear of the drop zone make a first cup semi-final since they reached the final in 2021, losing to TTM.
It would mean a lot
Andile Mbenyane – Chippa United midfielder
"It's going to be a big one and if you remember well, we played in the final of the same competition against Tshakhuma (Tsha Madzivhandila) not so long ago. So, we do have an idea of what it means to play in the Nedbank Cup, but this one is very important as we will be playing against Pirates. It's going to be a big game for us, and we will be playing at home. We have been playing well lately and that makes us not to worry that much although the aim remains the same and that's because we want to finish in the Top Eight. If I can tell you the truth, we do want to win the Nedbank Cup, and that's the whole aim for us. We are praying to the Lord to help us win this trophy. As the club's legend, it would mean a lot for me to win this trophy with the team because when I look back it isn't long before retiring. It would mean a lot for me to lift a cup with Chippa United before I retire. What I know for sure is that the chairman (Siviwe Mpengesi) would be a happy man if we can win this trophy for him. He is one person who is supporting us all the time and he has been encouraging us to win this trophy so that we can also make some money for ourselves. Should we win this trophy, that will make a lot of difference for us and in our bank accounts. Winning this trophy would also mean that Chippa United will be going to Africa and that is what is on our minds. So, there's a lot that we are playing for in this competition, and we are aiming big."'
I would like us to meet Sundowns in the final
Diana 'Lady D' Matli – Orlando Pirates supporter
"I think it's not going to be an easy game for us, and I think what the team needs to keep in mind is to defend the cup or at least reach the final. Chippa United is one of those teams that want to prove a point most of the time when they play with the big teams and a win doesn't come easy against them. We saw what happened when they beat Kaizer Chiefs and we will need to keep our heads high, keep the momentum, and not take off our feet from the pedals because anything can happen in the game of football. I think defending the trophy is highly doable, like 99.9% doable. Previously, when we were playing, we were not scoring goals but lately, as you can see, we've managed to solve that problem. We are playing very good football, and at the same time, we are converting the chances. So, I think the fact that they have addressed the final third issue, it's putting us in a very good spot for us to be able to win the trophy. The more we create the chances, the better chances of us to score the goals. They are going to try to push us maybe to 45 minutes, maybe in the second half.
So, I think the sooner we score and just settle the nerves, it's going to put us in a very comfortable place. The Pirates coach is going to win the game for us. When he arrived at the club, we had not won a trophy in a long time. He came, he gave us the taste of a trophy. He managed to defend the MTN8. Now, we are headed to the Nedbank Cup semifinals. I'm hoping for the best for him to at least clinch it and defend it for us. And then maybe next season, we'll go back to the drawing board and try to challenge Mamelodi Sundowns in the DStv Premiership. When they were busy doing the draw for the semi-finals, I was hoping that we would not be drawn against Stellenbosch FC. Trust me, those boys can run. They are very good. They've got pace and they are trying to market themselves so that other teams can see them. With everything they do, they do it the right way. That's why when I saw that we will be playing Chippa and even though it's away, I was delighted. I would like us to meet Sundowns in the final. I want to see them in the final. We managed to first see them in MTN8, and they owe us a lot. I think we need them. We need to show them how to score goals. It's not about making 20 touches in the field of play; it's about converting the chances. So, I think we need to meet Sundowns, the champions of the DStv Premiership, and then clinch it from them again like we did with the MTN8."
Key Battle:
Patrick Maswanganyi vs Goodman Mosele
There are many key battles in this match. Tshegofatso Mabasa vs Justice Chabalala will be a key one having seen the latter do a good job marking Samir Nurkovic in the last round. Mabasa has netted seven goals in his last seven matches since returning from loan and netted three times against Chippa for Pirates in the past. However, Maswanganyi may be Bucs' key man right now. He will be fully fresh after serving a suspension against Cape Town City and both Jose Riveiro and Rhulani Mokwena have mentioned "Tito" as a PSL Footballer of the Season candidate. His recent form has been red hot, with assists against Kaizer Chiefs and Golden Arrows and goals against Moroka Swallows and AmaZulu (a brace). To add to those, he scored a penalty and assisted two more goals in the 4-0 demolition of Royal AM.
Tasked with keeping Maswanganyi quiet will be Goodman Mosele. The Bucs loanee scored against his parent club in the league meeting in August with a fine turn and powerful strike. Mosele has won 19 tackles and made an impressive 31 interceptions in the PSL this season and with 29 fouls to his name, he isn't afraid to intimidate an opponent. Against Bucs' playmaker, he may take a physical approach when necessary to close spaces between the lines and in the pockets. If Mosele can keep Maswanganyi quiet, he will give his side a great chance of reaching the final. This match also represents an audition for a spot in Pirates' squad next season. Seeing the impact of Mabasa after his loan could be inspiration for Mosele to turn around his Pirates career.
Stellenbosch FC v Mamelodi Sundowns
Sunday, 5 May, Danie Craven Stadium, 15:00
Stellies are flying right now in both the DStv Premiership and cup competitions. Prior to the midweek clash at home to Golden Arrows, it's 24 matches without defeat as the Winelands club sit second in the PSL table in the pursuit of CAF Champions League football. Not only that, but their last eight matches have seen 22 goals scored (2.75 goals scored). Steve Barker's side knocked Masandawana out of the Nedbank Cup last season in the quarterfinals and will be hoping for a repeat. Sundowns saw a 21-match unbeaten run ended in the CAF Champions League as they lost 1-0 both away and at home to Esperance. Prior to netting three goals against TS Galaxy, their previous nine fixtures had seen just seven goals scored.
A game that will be influenced by the supporters
Leletu Skelem – Former Stellenbosch FC midfielder
"It's going to be a tough game, that I must say. It's going to be a game that will be influenced by the supporters a lot. I am saying this knowing very well that Stellenbosch FC don't have too many supporters but those that will be there will play a big role. Stellenbosch enjoy playing at the Danie Craven Stadium and they have a good run there. Stellenbosch FC is very quick, while on the other side Sundowns is a team that needs too much space to play their style of football. It won't be easy for Sundowns against Stellenbosch at the Danie Craven Stadium, and that I can assure you. If you can check, most of the Stellenbosch players are on form and that too will make it difficult for Sundowns to function against them. If you ask me for a prediction, I can tell you now that Stellenbosch is going to win that game."
Asika khohlwa (We haven't forgotten)
Robert "Mzekezeke" Nkosi – Mamelodi Sundowns supporter
"Stellenbosch will be hosting us at a wrong time because we are very hungry at the moment. They owe us because last season they beat us in the same competition while we were still busy in the CAF Champions League. Asika khohlwa (We haven't forgotten). Stellenbosch is one of the teams we like to play against because they play our similar kind of football. We don't like to play these other ones, they know who they are, and I won't mention them. The fact that Stellenbosch are in second place on the log means a lot about them and how good they have been this season. I remember in one of the previous interviews I did with Soccer Laduma where I mentioned that I wish clubs can play against Sundowns with the aim of learning and not hoping to win. Stellenbosch is one of the teams that have proved that they can play against Sundowns, and they are raising their hands to say they would like to accompany us to Africa next season. That's why they are just behind us on the log. Stellenbosch is one of the teams that can attack from the first to the last minute. Stellenbosch doesn't play like a group of guys who travelled from Cape Town to Johannesburg, they play proper football. Those boys are quick and that will make for an interesting game between us and them. They start it from the back and they build up in a nice way. I'm just worried about the choice of match venue as I thought that it would be played at Athlone Stadium.
Key Battle: Jayden Adams vs Themba Zwane
In the Maroon corner, you have 22-year-old Jayden Adams. It's been a remarkable 12 months for the young midfielder, featuring twice in the Africa Cup of Nations and being linked with clubs in Belgium as well as Mamelodi Sundowns. After arriving back from relative inactivity at the AFCON in Ivory Coast, it took a few weeks from Adams to get back to top match fitness. Against Polokwane City on Saturday, he assisted three goals for Iqraam Rayners, all of them totally different final balls. For the first goal, he dropped into the left back zone and found Rayners between the lines to fire home. For the second goal, he burst forward to the byline and cut it back for his teammate. The third assist was a through ball, displaying the variety in his passing game. Considering that Adams has quite recently began playing in the double pivot, as opposed to being a number 10, it means there is much more defensive responsibility on his shoulders. He will therefore be coming into direct competition with Themba Zwane in this semifinal.
"Mshishi" is a full 12 years older than Adams and will be something of a role model for the Stellies playmaker. Zwane has had a slightly uncharacteristic season, scoring just one goal despite playing around 2,500 minutes. In fact, by the time this semi-final kicks off, Zwane will be almost nine months without a goal in a Sundowns shirt. In midweek, he assisted three goals for Downs in a victory over TS Galaxy though and we may see him end this season in top form, akin to what we saw in a Bafana Bafana jersey in January and February. Like Adams' hattrick of assists, Zwane showed his all-round quality with a cross from the right, a backheel and then an unselfish pass. Whilst many will look at prolific strikers like Peter Shalulile and Iqraam Rayners as the key men in this tie, it could be the creative support cast who will have the biggest say on the final result!
