Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso hopes to annex the last cup trophy of the season, the Nedbank Cup. Photo: Sipho Siso 

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Kaizer Chiefs opens its defence of the Nedbank Cup against a tough cookie to crumble in an away game to Stellenbosch FC tomorrow [February 4] at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town.

Kick off for this much anticipated game is set for 19H00 and one of AmaKhosi’s co-coaches Cedric Kaze told a packed pre-match press conference at the Premier Soccer League headquarters in Parktown, Johannesburg, said the team was well aware that as defending champions, every team will be out for his side’s sculp but ‘we’re determined to defence the trophy to the hilt’.

“Our mission as we embark on the journey is to ensure that we successfully defend the cup and we will spare no resources to see this goal achieved.

“As Stellies eliminated Chiefs in the Carling Knockout recently, as much as it is not a revenge match, we will do our best to win the tie,” Kaze said,

Kaze said he was confident his side would prevail in the encounter against a stubborn Stellenbosch side, which he described as a ‘tough cookie to crumble, especially when it comes to its counter attacks and ability to lob long range balls to its forwards. If we can manage those elements well, we’re likely to prevail on the day,” Kaze added.

Meanwhile, closed book Gomora United, an outfit from Alexandra who ply their trade and owned by chairperson of the Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association Joe Seanego, will away to one of the powerhouses of African continental football Mamelodi Sundowns also tomorrow at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria and also starting at 19H00.

Gomora head coach Ashley Makhanya said he was well aware of the momentous task at hand against Sundowns but also pointed out that in football anything can happens and ‘I am sure you sports scribes will savour the moment if we were to get the better of the eight time champions of the local league in a row and a decade long perennial participants of the continental Caf Champions League’.

“We’re in it to win it and not just to add numbers. Sundowns are not a closed book to us coaches and players, as some of our players have idols there and some of them in actual fact fans of the club but that will not deter us from springing a surprise on the local league’s most formidable side. We’re in the tournament to also prove the kind of sterner stuff we’re made of,” said Makhanya, a former veteran of the now defunct Bidvest Wits FC.

Makhanya described his charges as a team that is capable of producing shock results and that can happen as well to the mighty Sundowns. “Sundowns is currently leaking its wounds after the defeat to Al Hilal of Sudan and we will endeavour to take advantage of that and we may spring a surprise win from the dented image of Masandawana,” Makhanya hopes.

Makhanya said the Nedbank Cup is well-known as a tournament of Davids versus Goliaths that often produces shock results and maybe this could be Gomora’s turn to shock Sundowns.

Meanwhile, Sundowns’ Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso, whose side has an impressive record in the league but has failed to translate its league prowess to cup competitions, is determined to cast that spell aside.

“We need to take this last cup competition seriously and ensure we have a cup competition trophy in our cabinet. If we want to go all the way in the Nedbank Cup, we will need to be well focussed and committed and eliminate the errors we often make. This is now our only chance for a cup trophy this season and we must not take anything for granted,” Cardoso concluded.