Mamelodi Sundowns v AmaZulu FC
12 November, FNB Stadium, 09h30
Rhulani has a tough balancing act – No left back!
Whilst Chiefs fans have gifted Arthur Zwane a relatively balanced starting XI, the same can’t be said for the Masandawana faithful! With an embarrassment of riches to choose from, the fans have selected basically five attackers in the same line-up.
Whilst the supporters will hope to see several goals scored by the Brazilians against AmaZulu FC, it does pose a dilemma for head coach Rhulani Mokwena. As the line-up stands now, there isn’t a natural left back and there is only one central midfielder. It will take some lengthy work on the training ground to get that group of players to function in a cohesive way.
In the past, Thapelo Morena and Khuliso Mudau have both occasionally played at left back when there have been injuries or due to tactical innovations. Mamelodi Sundowns would occasionally look to swap their fullbacks in the past to have Morena down the left and someone like Aubrey Modiba at right back. Mudau also played some minutes recently at left back against Usuthu – he moved to that flank with debutant Terrence Mashego playing at right back. You can never say that Downs aren’t inventive and creative tactically! For the Carling Black Label Cup, we may see Mudau play at left back because
Morena was outstanding on the right in recent fixtures.
Fans back out-of-favour Jali
In midfield, Andile Jali has not started since a tough outing against Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 semifinal first leg. He was taken off early into the second half there, was dropped for the second leg and has played a total of 10 minutes in the three subsequent DStv Premiership fixtures. Fans have shown their faith in him but have not selected any support for him in the engine room! It’s a big chance for the Matatieleborn midfielder to redeem himself and put the disappointing outing against Bucs out of his mind.
Coach Rhulani may need to use Themba Zwane and Gaston Sirino as number eights either side of Jali, with Thabiso Kutumela and Marcelo Allende playing behind Cassius Mailula. It could be an interesting set-up and don’t be surprised to see Mokwena introduce two or three central midfielders (such as Teboho Mokoena, Sphelele Mkhulise, Haashim Domingo or Lebohang Maboe) as soon as possible in the second half.
Usuthu – A growing force
A late surge of votes saw AmaZulu
FC make it into fourth spot in the voting and therefore ensuring their involvement in this competition. Romain Folz’s side comes into the clashes somewhat downbeat after losing a cup final last Saturday, meaning their very long wait for silverware continues. It is a positive thing for the work being done in Durban that Usuthu are growing
the club from a “brand” perspective and some of that comes from their second-place finish in the 2020/21 season and subsequent involvement in CAF Champions League action. This tournament therefore represents a chance to win over some new young supporters and to continue their lofty ambitions to always finish in the top four and to eventually challenge for,
and win, trophies and league titles.
Barring any late changes, below is the AmaZulu XI selected for the match:
For AmaZulu, where their numbers are much lower, the line-up can change right up until the deadline. Even on Monday, it appeared that Veluyeke Zulu has been replaced by a more natural left back in Riaan Hanamub, one of the PSL’s best performers down that flank this season. Ramahlwe Mphahlele went off injured in the cup final over the weekend and will probably not be able to face Downs on Saturday, the club that he captained. We await confirmation of his availability status and who would replace him.
Folz is still very much trying to find the right formula for his side, so it may not hurt to see a few different guys get more game-time, such as winger Msindisi Ndlovu, who started in the 1-0 win against Stellenbosch FC but was only on the subs bench for the cup final.
Since taking over, the Frenchman has overseen six matches with just
one victory, albeit with only one defeat, the MTN8 final. He has been in charge for four draws, including 1-1 at Pirates in his first match at the helm and a 0-0 draw against Chiefs. He knows how to frustrate these teams should his Usuthu side defeat Sundowns in the semi-final to reach the final.
Head-to-head record
The Brazilians have largely dominated recent meetings with AmaZulu, aside from the KZN club ending Downs’ unbeaten record last season. Augustine Mulenga got the winner that day in December, but Sundowns have beaten them this season already, 1-0 at home in September as a Veli Mothwa error allowed Allende to get a last-minute winner. The Tshwane giants have won six of their last eight clashes with the Durban outfit, often scoring
a bucketload of goals. They put five past AmaZulu in the Nedbank Cup in 2019, as well as scoring seven times
against them in 2020.