Mamelodi Sundowns were drawn against KwaZulu-Natal based Summerfield Dynamos in the quarterfinals of the Nedbank Cup on Monday evening.
Masandawana will meet the KZN ABC Motsepe League champions in Pretoria on a date the PSL is yet to announce. The Durban-based outfit who are coached by former Bloemfontein Celtic and Maritzburg United mentor Clinton Larsen, made their way into the top 8 of the Ke Yona competition after a 1 – 0 victory over Black Eagles on Sunday. The Brazilians’ captain, Denis Onyango described the draw against their third tier opponents as a ”fair” draw:
“The draw against Summerfield is a fair draw because there are no so-called ‘smaller teams’ when you get to the quarter-finals, especially in the Nedbank Cup. It’s a cup of dreams, so it’s a dream as well for Summerfield to play against Sundowns, but also for us to take the game very seriously just like any other games. When you look at Summerfield, they’ve got a few players from the PSL, the coach is also very experienced, he [has been] with PSL clubs [before]. For us it’s all about getting the team to the next level and try to qualify for the semi-finals.”
The Ugandan goalkeeper also spoke on the different preparation methods that take place when faced with less popular opponents that may pose a threat when they meet, he said: “The Nedbank Cup is quite awkward because when you play teams like Summerfield you don’t have a lot of footage on them, you don’t know how dangerous they are. They can hurt any other team, we’ve seen it from other clubs that are being knocked out by the ‘so-called’ smaller teams.”
“The analysts need to dig deeper, and get at least something for the players to watch and know how to deal with them and give this game the respect it deserves. With the Champions League it’s easier because the games are on TV all the time.”
Bafana Ba Style are topping Group A with 10 points after their historical double win against Al Ahly SC in the CAF Champions League courtesy of a 1-0 win this past Saturday at the FNB Stadium. Onyango showed confidence and optimism about The Brazilians chances of having a successful continental campaign and winning the title.
“The team winning back-to-back against Al Ahly it’s massive, it has boosted the confidence of the team and the self-belief that we can make it all the way to the final, but it’s a process, we need to stay humble and try win the next game to get go the quarter finals and win there too. It’s not easy, the Champions League is a very difficult tournament to win, but the clean sheets that we’ve got also play a huge role in the qualifications.”
“The team gets the confidence going forward knowing that it’s safe at the back, the goalkeepers are doing a very good job together with the infield players because we defend from the top. The union is very strong that whoever gets picked to play gives his best and anyone who gets to play is always ready to give his best to the club.”
