Celtic’s inspiration is from 2012
History says that the outcome of the Cup final is not a foregone conclusion
BLOEMFONTEIN Celtic have upset Mamelodi Sundowns in a knockout cup final before. It was the 2012 Telkom Knockout when a Clinton Larsen-coached side beat the odds to overcome the overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy.
Phunya Sele Sele will be hoping to replicate the performance which saw them beat the Brazilians 1-0 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium when the two teams meet again in the final of the Nedbank Cup.
In 2012 the situation was not dissimilar to this 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 certainly be looking to draw some inspiration from the 2012 performance and will hope to take down the league champs. The final kicks off at 8pm on Saturday.
The Brazilians are oozing with confidence having dethroned Kaizer Chiefs at the summit of the table to be crowned the Absa Premiership winners in the final match. Sundowns achieved their 10th league title and it was their third on the trot.
They have already won the double this season. At the start of the season, they got better of Maritzburg United in the final to win the Telkom Knockout.
It has become something of a habit that under the tutelage Pitso Mosimane, the Brazilians do not lose in cup finals often. Only once have they reached the final and were defeated under Mosimane’s leadership. They were trounced 3-0 by Bidvest Wits in the 2016 MTN8 final.
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 the country just like they did in 2012.
Mosimane and his men will be wary after last season’s Nedbank Cup final and approach Celtic with a great deal of respect. Last season, First Division side TS Galaxy stunned Amakhosi to clinch the trophy.
Galaxy defied the odds to beat Amakhosi at Moses Mabhida. In as much as Sundowns are gunning for a treble, Celtic will know that they’ve got every reason to believe that anything is possible.
Celtic will be pinning their hopes on Ndumiso Mabena to deliver the goods for the club. He has been their main man and has enjoyed his games against Sundowns.
The likes of Ricardo Nascimento and Motjeka Madisha will be keeping a close eye on the former Orlando Pirates marksman.
Celtic haven’t won a cup in eight years and they will be looking to end their barren run while Sundowns will be looking to complete their treble.