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#NedbankCup:Chiefs, United set for thriller

@ Backpagepix
@ Backpagepix

Kaizer Chiefs will face off with SuperSport United in a Nedbank Cup quarterfinal encounter at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday.Kick-off is at 6:00pm.

Amakhosi are chasing their 14th Nedbank Cup this season. They remain the most decorated club in the history of this competition, having won their last title in 2013.

George Lebese was the hero for Chiefs in their last competitive match. The winger scored the only goal of the match as they beat Chippa United 1-0 in an Absa Premiership game last weekend.

As a result Chiefs are currently enjoying a 14-match unbeaten run in all competitions. They have registered 10 wins and four draws during their current impressive run.

However, Amakhosi fought hard to beat ABC Motsepe side Acornbush United 2-1 in the Nedbank Cup last 16 match – with Gustavo Paez netting a brace for Amakhosi over two weeks ago.

Paez has established himself as a key player for the Soweto giants in recent times. The Venezuelan forward will be looking to add to his three Nedbank Cup goals against SuperSport and help his side advance.

With his side set to face SuperSport in Cup and league matches within a week, Chiefs coach Steve Komphela is wary of Matsatsantsa and he also stressed Lebese’s importance to the team.

“Playing against a team that’s been losing is dangerous, so our approach will be to focus on the game and not on their past results,” Komphela said.

“At Chiefs we have to fight for both matches, the league and the Cup, but we do want to win both.

“I was happy Lebese scored, especially after our predictions, so the celebration was to show Lebese that he is still a valuable player.”

Meanwhile, SuperSport are the defending champions of this season’s Nedbank Cup having defeated Orlando Pirates in the final last year. They have won this tournament four times.

Matsatsantsa are coming off a disappointing 1-0 defeat to their Tshwane rivals Mamelodi Sundowns in an Absa Premiership encounter which took place in midweek.

This was Tshwane giants’ second defeat in their five matches in all competitions. The other three games ended in a draw and victories over Liberian side Barrack Young Controllers and KwaDukuza United.

The convincing 2-0 victory over ABC Motsepe side KwaDukuza secured SuperSport’s place in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals over two weeks ago. Mandla Masango and Aubrey Modiba netted for Matsatsantsa.

Jeremy Brockie, who scored four goals in the Nedbank Cup last season, remains a key player for SuperSport. The New Zealand striker will be looking to fire Matsatsantsa into the semifinals.

SuperSport head coach Stuart Baxter, who has won this competition with both Matsatsantsa and Chiefs, says he will try find a game plan that will not suit his former side.

“The fact that we have former Chiefs players doesn’t really mean much,” Baxter said.

“We will try to find a game plan that we think will suit Chiefs badly.

“Undoubtedly, its going to be a good game. It’s two teams who know each other well and I’m sure will have ambitions to go far in this tournament.”

Chiefs and SuperSport have met once in a competitive match this season. The two sides played to a 1-1 stalemate last November, with Lebese netting for Matsatsantsa, while Thabo Mnyamane scored for Amakhosi.

This article was sourced from the PSL website.

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