Soccer final just too close to call

The MTN8 final should provide plenty of thrills and spills tonight, as Cape Town City and SuperSport United face off at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, in a game bursting with intriguing plot-lines. The clash is a repeat of the 2017 Telkom Knockout Final, when City, in the midst of an amazing first season in the Premier Soccer League, stunned Matsatsantsa 2-1 to lift the trophy.

The coach of City last season was Eric Tinkler, who is now, of course, at the helm of SuperSport, taking over when Stuart Baxter left for a second spell with Bafana Bafana.

All that left a gap at City, which was filled by none other than Bafana’s leading all-time goalscorer Benni McCarthy, who was given a first-ever job as a head coach by the Cape side’s owner, John Comitis.

McCarthy has got off to a stunning start at City, losing just twice – to Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates – and leading his side all the way to another cup final.

Then again, Tinkler’s efforts at SuperSport so far have also been exceptional, with the side not only reaching the MTN8 final, but also the Caf Confederation Cup semifinals, with the second leg of that coming up next weekend.

It really is too close to call this evening, with Tinkler the more experienced man with inside knowledge of his former club, up against McCarthy the maverick, who keeps on defying expectations.