Chippa United host Jomo Cosmos on Saturday afternoon in a tough battle for a semifinal spot in the Nedbank Cup at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.Kick-off is at 3:00pm.
The Chilli Boys are not doing well in their Absa Premiership campaign and this match could present an opportunity to return to winning ways.
They are fresh from a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Kaizer Chiefs last Saturday, but playing at home challenges them to fight harder.
Coach Dan Malesela will want to make history and become the first manager to lead the Chilli Boys to success in the Nedbank Cup.
Malesela led the side for the first time beyond the Last 32 and will be motivated to reach the last eight by beating the stubborn Ezenkosi.
In their Ke Yona run, the Eastern Cape-based side brushed aside Witbank Spurs and Polokwane City.
According to skipper, Thamsanqa Sangweni, they will respect Ezenkosi but their focus is on coming out as victors come match day.
“Everyone is ready even though we have been struggling in a few games‚ but I think we are ready for this one‚” he said.
“Even in the league we are trying so hard to get points. Everything is important. Cup games are important as well as league matches.
“But I am happy that we are still in the running for the Nedbank Cup. Hopefully on Saturday we will win and go to the next round.
“We won’t take them for granted because we have experienced such things before. I think we will take it a game at a time and also respect the Jomo Cosmos players.”
Coming to Cosmos, Ezenkosi will visit Chippa motivated by their hard fought win over Bidvest Wits in their previous Nedbank match.
Following a 1-1 draw against the Clever Boys in regulation time, Jomo Sono’s side stood firm and went on to claim a win via 5-4 penalty shoot-out.
Looking at their run in the cup competition, Cosmos bagged a 3-0 over United Rovers in the Last 32 and will hope to continue with their rich vein of form in the competition.
Coach Sono is aware that in recent matches they failed to claim a win in the NFD against log leaders Thanda Royal Eagles and lost 2-0 to Magesi FC, but they will hope to stun the Chilli Boys.
“There is no difference between us and the premier sides or league, the only thing could be the monthly grant – in football there is no difference,” said Dr Sono.
“If God allows me to reach the semifinals, then I can tell you that we will reach the finals, but for now I can’t say where we will end up.
”We will also fight to reach the play-offs. The Nedbank Cup is not a distraction, but a morale booster for us and we are looking forward to it.”
