Maduka warns Celtic not to be ‘too excited’ ahead of Cup final

Phunya Sele Sele will be looking to make history by winning the Nedbank Cup for the first time and claiming what would be their first cup in almost since they won the Telkom Knockout in 2012, when they beat Sundowns 1-0 in the final.

READ: Mosimane wary of ‘good passing’ Celtic ahead of Cup final

However, Celtic head coach John Maduka has warned his players to be careful of not getting too excited in the final and has told them to not apply too much pressure on themselves.

“It is the first time for us being in the Nedbank Cup final and we know it won’t be an easy game …  but we strongly believe that with the squad that we have we have got a chance to do well. We hope that everything goes according to plan,” said Maduka.

The mentor has a relatively young squad and most of his players have never played in a cup final and he says going up against a team of Sundowns’ calibre should be motivation on its own.

“For those who will be playing in their first cup final, that on its own it’s already motivation. They must be happy and excited … (but) they need to make sure that they are not too excited,” said Maduka.

“It is a different ball game, they have beaten us before and we have learnt from how they have beat us. Our plan going into this one is to make sure that we give our best and we play according to our plan,” he added.

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