McCarthy

Cape Town City will bank on their homeground advantage when they host Polokwane City for their MTN8 Cup quarterfinal clash on Saturday afternoon at Cape Town Stadium.

Kick-off is at 3:00pm.

The Citizens will also want to add their second trophy after lifting the Telkom Knockout Cup last season in their maiden season in the Premier Soccer League.

However, with coach Benedict McCarthy set to cut his teeth in the top flight football, a lot will be at stake come match day.

On the part of the visitors, Rise and Shine are in their debut campaign in the Wafa Wafa Competition as they finished at No 6 last season.

Coach Bernard Molekwa’s troops will want to repeat the 4-2 win they produced when they beat their hosts in their final match of the 2016/17 campaign.

Head-to- Head (since 2016/17)

PREVIOUS CUP MEETINGS

N/A – This will be the first cup meeting between Cape Town City and Polokwane City

ALL LEAGUE RESULTS

Season Result Scorers

2016/17 CTC 2-0 Polokwane Jayiya, Ngoma

2016/17 Polokwane 4-2 CTC Maluleke, Sememya, Mbonani, Mngomezulu; Ngoma, Majoro

OVERALL RECORD (all competitions)

P W D L GF GA

CTC 2 1 0 1 4 4

Polokwane 2 1 0 1 4 4

What the teams are saying:

Cape Town City coach Benedict McCarthy:

“I’m looking forward to Saturday because the guys all want to replicate last season’s success. They don’t want people to call them one hit wonders,” said McCarthy.

“Last season the team relied a lot on catching teams on the counter, but I want something a little different. I want us to put teams under pressure and so I like a lot of high pressing.

“We don’t want to just rely on counter attacks. We want a different strategy‚ not to let our opponents have a chance to settle. That’s what we hope to try and do different.”

Polokwane City coach Bernard Molekwa:

“Our preparations are going well so far, I am happy with the guys and we are looking forward to the game,” said Molekwa.

“You know they have a new coach, we beat them 4-2, they beat us 2-0 in Cape Town. They will come at us and we are ready for that.

“We are playing for the first time in the MTN8 and we are proud as a team. We just want to go there and fight to reach the next stage.”

Key players for CT City:

Jabulani Maluleke: As captain of the team, Maluleke is aware that the side relies on him when it comes to making them tick. His passing will be a vital weapon for the Citizens on the day. On top of that, he has a great ability to strike free kicks and he will be dangerous in that area.

Rodney Ramagalela: Ramagalela will be expected to keep the hosts’ defence on its toes for the rest of the tie. His runs and powerful shots will give the hosts a good run for their money.

Key players for Polokwane City:

Shu-Aib Walters: Walters is the last line of defence for the Mother City side and he has been stable at the back. His experience in cup games will come in handy on the day as they want to collect another gold medal.

Lebogang Manyama: The skipper has a good eye for goals and will not be an easy man to mark on the day. Although his twin is still out injured, Aubrey Ngoma, Manyama will just need a good supply on the day and he will do the rest.