Ready for the Cup of dreams
The romance of football is always at it's most glorious in the Nedbank Cup, where a giant-killing is always on the cards, as TS Galaxy proved in the most incredible of moments on 18 May of last year, when they stunned Kaizer Chiefs by a single goal to nil at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Zakhele Lepasa of TS Galaxy celebrates goal during the 2019 Nedbank Cup match between Kaizer Chiefs and TS Galaxy at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. (Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix)
It hasn’t been quite so glorious ever since, it must be said, for Zakhele Lepasa, the scorer of the winning penalty in stoppage time against Amakhosi, which might be considered the best thing he has ever done for Orlando Pirates, given that Lepasa has played just 18 minutes of football for the Buccaneers since joining them at the start of this season.
Lepasa was rumoured to be leaving Pirates in the January transfer window, but that never materialised, and he could well spend the rest of the season on the sidelines, particularly with Pirates going so well right now under Josef Zinnbauer.
It’s a bit of a sad appendix to the fairytale of the Nedbank Cup win, but Lepasa did at least get his Pirates contract, and Galaxy will begin the defence of their title this week against Chippa United (ironically, also the club Lepasa was linked to in January), while other Nedbank Cup hopefuls will no doubt be inspired by what Dan Malesela and his side achieved last season.
In searching out an upset in the last 32 of the Nedbank Cup, Galaxy might well have as good a chance as any team, with Chippa United struggling at the moment in the Absa Premiership.
Elsewhere, it will be interesting to see if there are some nerves in the Chiefs camp when they host another GladAfrica Championship side in Royal Eagles on Saturday. Ernst Middendorp was perhaps a little fortunate to keep his job after the debacle in Durban, but there is no one doubting him right now, as his side have stormed into a runaway lead on top of the Absa Premiership.
Could it really be that a second-tier side brings Amakhosi back to earth with a bang? It seems very unlikely, with Chiefs in fine fettle and with Eagles having a poor season in the GladAfrica Championship, currently propping up the table with just 14 points from 20 matches.
In reality, the shocks are likely to come away from FNB Stadium, perhaps at Highlands Park, where high-flying GladAfrica Championship side Uthongathi FC visit, with a chance to show why they belong in the Absa Premiership next season. Owen Da Gama’s side have had a bit of a blip after a fine start to the 2019/20 campaign, though they did manage a win at home to Baroka FC on the weekend.
It will be fascinating to see if a 42-year-old Siyabonga Nomvethe features for Johnny Ferreira’s side in that match.
Mbombela United, meanwhile, might just fancy their chances in a home game against Cape Town City, who have been a far cry from their best this season. Mbombela are, however, also struggling at the bottom of the GladAfrica Championship.
The two plum ties of the round, of course, have to be the Tshwane derby between Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United, and the clash between Orlando Pirates and Bidvest Wits. Some might say these games have come too early in the competition, but I would much rather see this kind of open draw, than the seeded draws we get in the Telkom Knockout.
As for my personal picks, Pirates are in such good form that I see them beating Wits, while I think Sundowns will have too much for SuperSport United in their Tshwane derby.
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