Can Bloem Celtic do it again?

BLOEMFONTEIN Celtic have upset Mamelodi Sundowns in a knockout cup final before. It was the 2012 Telkom Knockout Cup when Clinton Larsen’s side beat the odds to lift the trophy.

Phunya Sele Sele will be hoping to replicate the form which saw them beating the Brazilians 1-0 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium when the teams meet in the final of the Nedbank Cup.

In 2012, the situation was not dissimilar to this coming Saturday’s clash as the Free State side are going into the clash against a Sundowns team that is full of confidence following their successful defence of the league championship. No one gave them a chance heading into that final in Durban but Joel Mogorosi was the hero of the day with his controversial strike.

Celtic coach John Maduka will be looking to draw some inspiration from the 2012 performance and hope to turn the tables. The Nedbank Cup final kicks off at 8pm this Saturday.

The Brazilians are oozing confidence having dethroned Kaizer Chiefs at the summit of the table to be crowned the Absa Premiership champions in the final match. Sundowns won their 10th league title and it was a hat-trick of league titles.

They have already won the double in the current season. At the start of the season, they got the better of Maritzburg United in the final to win the Telkom Knockout.

It has become something of a habit that under the tutelage of Pitso Mosimane, the Brazilians do not lose in cup finals that frequently. Only once have they reached a final and were defeated under Mosimane’s leadership. They were trounced 3-0 by Bidvest Wits in the MTN8 final of 2016.

They have beaten the likes of Kaizer Chiefs, Zamalek, Ajax Cape Town and Maritzburg in previous cup finals.

Sundowns will be looking to maintain their consistency while Celtic will be aiming to shock just like they did in 2012.

Mosimane and his men will be wary of the most recent outcome of the final game in the Nedbank Cup and approach Celtic with a great deal of respect. Last season, First Division side TS Galaxy stunned Amakhosi to clinch the Cup. Celtic haven’t won a cup in eight years while Sundowns will be looking to complete their treble. |