Chiefs, Chippa in PE
Place in prestigious Nebank Cup quarter-finals awaits winners
Chippa United will throw everything at National First Division side Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila in order to progress to the quarter-finals of the Nedbank Cup when the two sides meet on Saturday, says skipper Mark Mayambela.
The two sides will face off in the last-16 of the competition at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (3pm kickoff). Chippa made their way to the last-16 of the competition after beating Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1.
The Port Elizabeth-based professional side have now gone four games without a loss after breaking their 11-match winless run.
Mayambela said a win was vital to keep the positive mentality within the team. “I think this is the first time that we have played four games without a loss,” said the 31-year-old midfield general.
“I think it’s also a great confidence boost for us as a team, so it’s very important that we win the game and we progress to the next stage. It also helps us not to have a lot of weekends without games in between, because if we go out [of the competition] it means that on Nedbank weekends we won’t have competitive games.
“It’s important for us to always have these competitive games so that we also keep our momentum, our sharpness and level high. We are going for everything.”
The former Ajax Cape Town player said the coach had not made many changes to the their game plan and had taken the game as any other league fixture.
He said this should show how important the game was and how vital a win was.
“Football is a game of opportunities and going into this game there are a lot of opportunities for us.
“It’s an opportunity for us to extend our unbeaten run, use the game to prepare for our next league game against Golden Arrows and it’s also an opportunity for us to move from the last-16 to the quarters.
“They are a good team. There are quality and experienced players in their team but it’s our home game. I believe that we want to win it more than them. We need to win it not only to progress to the quarterfinals but also it gives us that momentum.”
Last season, Chippa beat ABC Motsepe League outfit Phiva Young Stars 2-0 to proceed to the next stage of the competition.
However, the Chilli Boys' journey in the tournament was short-lived and they were booted out by Free State Stars after losing 2-1 in the last 16 stage.
The furthest the team has gone in the Nedbank Cup is reaching the semi-finals in 2017, a tie they lost 4-0 to powerful SuperSport United.