Cape teams have extra motivation to make it to the Cup final

THE QUARTER-FINALS of the Nedbank Cup delivered a mouth-watering fixture as Cape Town City were drawn at home to face Mamelodi Sundowns. The draw for the competition took place at the Waterfront in the Mother City yesterday.

The only lower-tier team left in the event, NFD side Ubuntu Cape Town, will also play at home and they have a tricky contest against the in-form Free State Stars.

The other two fixtures will see Kaizer Chiefs take on Baroka FC and Maritzburg United hosting Bloemfontein Celtic.

It was also confirmed at last night’s draw that the final of the Nedbank Cup, scheduled for 19 May, will take place at Cape Town Stadium.

“Cape Town football supporters have been asking for an opportunity to watch a Cup final in their backyard for some time now and we are excited to bring a major Cup final to Cape Town Stadium,” said PSL acting chief executive, Mato Madlala.

“This is in line with the commitment made by the league to utilise the stadiums built for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. This is not just an opportunity to watch a football match, but a chance for fans to be part of an experience.”

Because of this, no doubt, it will provide added motivation for City and Ubuntu as they attempt to go all the way to represent the Cape, at home, in the climax of the competition.

Ubuntu have been the surprise package, mounting a superb run in the knockout tournament that saw them eliminate two top-flight clubs in Polokwane City and AmaZulu.

Benni McCarthy’s City took out Orlando Pirates on Wednesday and now they have to tackle yet another top-class opponent in Sundowns.