Mamelodi Sundowns have been drawn against the last team standing from the NFD side, AmaTuks, in the quarterfinals round of the Nedbank Cup. The draw took place on Monday evening at the SuperSport Studio, following the conclusion of the Round of 16 on Sunday.
Coach Rulani’s side advanced to the quarterfinals after a brace by Thembinkosi Lorch scored in the second half, that saw them overcome Maritzburg United with a 2-0 victory.
Speaking to the members of the media after the draw, Coach Rulani stated that he expects a difficult game against the University of Pretoria FC. He also lauded the AmaTuks coach for the work he has done to improve his squad.
“I’m quite fond of coach Tlisane Motaung. I’ve seen him come through the ranks as a youth coach and in the varsity leagues. He’s done an incredible job to fight and develop to become one of the promising coaches in the country. I watched his team against Swallows and I thought they were worthy winners. they’ve got very good players, the likes of, Thabang Sibanyoni upfront, Camagu Mdevulana in the midfield as well as Promise Mkhuma. These are the players that I know very well. We saw against Maritzburg United how aggressive and physical these games can be and I expect nothing different against AmaTuks,” the coach stated.
When asked if there is any pressure to win the quarterfinals and the competition as a whole, coach Rulani admitted to being under pressure to win every game. He said: “I’m under a lot of pressure. I have to win every game but that’s the nature of the business. When you are at a big club like Mamelodi Sundowns, winning is not enough. You got to win and continue to win and that’s my life and it’s something I’ve accepted,” he concluded.
The dates, times and venues of the quarterfinals will be announced at a later stage. Keep across the Mamelodi Sundowns social media pages for updates as they are announced.
