Chippa United v Orlando Pirates
Saturday, 4 May, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, 15:00
In the first semi-final, Chippa United will host Orlando Pirates, who are scoring goals for fun of late. In April alone, the Buccaneers netted 17 goals in five matches. Jose Riveiro has his side looking potent going forward and since he took over, they have scored four (or more) goals in a match on nine occasions. Across all competitions, the Sea Robbers are averaging 1.70 goals scored per game, their highest scoring rate since the 2004-05 season. Before going to Cape Town City on Wednesday afternoon, they were on a streak of just one loss in 12 matches. Chippa, on the other hand, have lost 15 of their 22 previous meetings vs Pirates and haven’t won at home against the Buccaneers since 2016. Prior to losing 2-1 at AmaZulu last weekend, the Chilli Boys had won 2-0 in four successive fixtures to climb clear of the drop zone and make a first cup semi-final since they reached he final in 2021, losing to TTM.
It would mean a lot Andile Mbenyane – Chippa United midfielder
“It’s going to be a big one and if you remember well, we played in the final of the same competition against Tshakhuma (Tsha Madzivhandila) not so long ago. So, we do have an idea of what it means to play in the Nedbank Cup, but this one is very important as we will be playing against Pirates. It’s going to be a big game for us, and we will be playing at home. We have been playing well lately and that makes us not to worry that much although the aim remains the same and that’s because we want to finish in the Top Eight. If I can tell you the truth, we do want to win the Nedbank Cup, and that’s the whole aim for us. We are praying to the Lord to help us win this trophy. As the club’s legend, it would mean a lot for me to win this trophy with the team because when I look back it isn’t long before retiring. It would mean a lot for me to lift a cup with Chippa United before I retire. What I know for sure is that the chairman (Siviwe Mpengesi) would be a happy man if we can win this trophy for him. He is one person who is supporting us all the time and he has been encouraging us to win this trophy so that we can also make some money for ourselves. Should we win this trophy, that will make a lot of difference for us and in our bank accounts. Winning this trophy would also mean that Chippa United will be going to Africa and that is what is on our minds. So, there’s a lot that we are playing for in this competition, and we are aiming big.”’
I would like us to meet Sundowns in the final Diana ‘Lady D’ Matli – Orlando Pirates supporter
“I think it’s not going to be an easy game for us, and I think what the team needs to keep in mind is to defend the cup or at least reach the final. Chippa United is one of those teams that want to prove a point most of the time when they play with the big teams and a win doesn’t come easy against them. We saw what happened when they beat Kaizer Chiefs and we will need to keep our heads high, keep the momentum, and not take off our feet from the pedals because anything can happen in the game of football. I think defending the trophy is highly doable, like 99.9% doable. Previously, when we were playing, we were not scoring goals but lately, as you can see, we’ve managed to solve that problem. We are playing very good football, and at the same time, we are converting the chances. So, I think the fact that they have addressed the final third issue, it’s putting us in a very good spot for us to be able to win the trophy. The more we create the chances, the better chances of us to score the goals. They are going to try to push us maybe to 45 minutes, maybe in the second half. So, I think the sooner we score and just settle the nerves, it’s going to put us in a very comfortable place. The Pirates coach is going to win the game for us. When he arrived at the club, we had not won a trophy in a long time. He came, he gave us the taste of a trophy. He managed to defend the MTN8. Now, we are headed to the Nedbank Cup semifinals. I’m hoping for the best for him to at least clinch it and defend it for us. And then maybe next season, we’ll go back to the drawing board and try to challenge Mamelodi Sundowns in the DStv Premiership. When they were busy doing the draw for the semi-finals, I was hoping that we would not be drawn against Stellenbosch FC. Trust me, those boys can run. They are very good. They’ve got pace and they are trying to market themselves so that other teams can see them. With everything they do, they do it the right way. That’s why when I saw that we will be playing Chippa and even though it’s away, I was delighted. I would like us to meet Sundowns in the final. I want to see them in the final. We managed to first see them in MTN8, and they owe us a lot. I think we need them. We need to show them how to score goals. It’s not about making 20 touches in the field of play; it’s about converting the chances. So, I think we need to meet Sundowns, the champions of the DStv Premiership, and then clinch it from them again like we did with the MTN8.”
Key Battle: Patrick Maswanganyi vs Goodman Mosele
There are many key battles in this match. Tshegofatso Mabasa vs Justice Chabalala will be a key one having seen the latter do a good job marking Samir Nurkovic in the last round. Mabasa has netted seven goals in his last seven matches since returning from loan and netted three times against Chippa for Pirates in the past. However, Maswanganyi may be Bucs’ key man right now. He will be fully fresh after serving a suspension against Cape Town City and both Jose Riveiro and Rhulani Mokwena have mentioned “Tito” as a PSL Footballer of the Season candidate. His recent form has been red hot with assists against Kaizer Chiefs and Golden Arrows and goals against Moroka Swallows and AmaZulu (a brace). To add to those, he scored a penalty and assisted two more goals in the 4-0 demolition of Royal AM.
Tasked with keeping Maswanbe ganyi quiet will Goodman Mosele. The Bucsloanee scored against his parent club in the league meeting in August with a fine turn and powerful strike. Mosele has won 19 tackles and made an impressive 31 intercepis tions in the PSL this season and with 29 fouls to his name, he isn’t afraid to intimate an opponent. Against Bucs’ playmaker, he may take a physical approach when nees cessary to close spaces between the lines and in the pockets. If Mosele can keep Maswanganyi quiet, he will give his side a great chance of reaching the final. This match also represents an audition for a spot in Pirates’ squad next season. Seeing the impact of Mabasa after his loan could be inspiration for Mosele to turn around his Pirates career.