Another huge crowd is expected when Kaizer Chiefs take on Stellenbosch in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday (6pm).
The fixture was initially scheduled to be played in Cape Town but the venues were booked, with the Athlone Stadium hosting the World Rugby HSBC Women Sevens Challenger and the DHL Stadium staging the Cape Town Cycle Tour.
So Cape Town’s loss becomes Gqeberha’s gain as Chiefs become the second Soweto giant club to play in the Bay in three days after Orlando Pirates beat Chippa United 1-0 in a Betway Premiership fixture.
A win against Chiefs on Saturday will keep Stellies’ hopes of clinching a first-ever Nedbank Cup title alive.
And the Glamour Boys’ coach, Nasreddine Nabi, said though he anticipated a tough encounter on Saturday, his troops would be doing anything in their power to try to win.
In their Betway Premiership meetings in 2025, Chiefs emerged with wins both home and away by 2-1 and 1-0 margins, respectively.
The Tunisian coach understands, though, that a cup competition is a different ball game.
“We believe that it is going to be a very tough game,” Nabi said.
“We don’t believe for one second that the last two positive results that we got against them are going to count in this one.
“Even those games were very tight. It’s a tough fixture but we will do everything possible to try go as far as we can in this Nedbank Cup.
“We have started to work mentally with our players to make them understand that this is a new game, that it is a cup game and we know the team we are facing has experience in these kinds of cup and knockout games.
“As Kaizer Chiefs, we know that there’s a great possibility to go very far in this cup.
“That is why we need to work very hard, concentrate on ourselves, and do everything right to win the game on Saturday.
“On the other hand, they are going to play on the fact that they have already lost twice and they’ll never lose three times to us ... they will push their players.”
Meanwhile, speaking to the Gqeberha media after their victory over the Chilli Boys, Pirates coach Jose Riveiro said he was anticipating an exciting clash against SuperSport United.
Bucs made their way to the quarterfinals of the Nedbank Cup after beating Baroka 3-1 in the last 16 of the competition.
They play Matsatsantsa at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday (kickoff at 3pm).
“SuperSport is a tough team with a clear style of play, with very dangerous strikers.
“A team that is capable of finding a goal in games that they are not dominating, with excellent football players in my opinion.
“Both teams will try their best, it’s going to be an exciting one,” Riveiro said.
Other Nedbank Cup quarterfinal fixtures will see Mamelodi Sundowns take on Sekhukhune United at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday (8pm), and Durban City face Marumo Gallants at the Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday (3pm).
The Herald
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