Stellenbosch FC v Mamelodi Sundowns
Sunday, 5 May, Danie Craven Stadium, 15:00
Stellies are flying right now in both the DStv Premiership and cup competitions. Prior to the midweek clash at home to Golden Arrows, it’s 24 matches without defeat as the Winelands club sit second in the PSL table in the pursuit of CAF Champions League football. Not only that, but their last eight matches have seen 22 goals scored (2.75 goals scored). Steve Barker’s side knocked Masandawana out of the Nedbank Cup last season in the quarter-finals and will be hoping for a repeat. Sundowns saw a 21-match unbeaten run ended in the CAF Champions League as they lost 1-0 both away and at home to Esperance. Prior to netting three goals against TS Galaxy, their previous nine fixtures had seen just seven goals scored.
A game that will be influenced by the supporters
Leletu Skelem – Former Stellenbosch FC midfielder
“It’s going to be a tough game, that I must say. It’s going to be a game that will be influenced by the supporters a lot. I am saying this knowing very well that Stellenbosch FC don’t have too many supporters but those that will be there will play a big role. Stellenbosch enjoy playing at the Danie Craven Stadium and they have a good run there. Stellenbosch FC is very quick, while on the other side Sundowns is a team that needs too much space to play their style of football. It won’t be easy for Sundowns against Stellenbosch at the Danie Craven Stadium, and that I can assure you. If you can check, most of the Stellenbosch players are on form and that too will make it difficult for Sundowns to function against them. If you ask me for a prediction, I can tell you now that Stellenbosch is going to win that game.”
Asika khohlwa (We haven’t forgotten)
Robert “Mzekezeke” Nkosi – Mamelodi Sundowns supporter
“Stellenbosch will be hosting us at a wrong time because we are very hungry at the moment. They owe us because last season they beat us in the same competition while we were still busy in the CAF Champions League. Asika khohlwa (We haven’t forgotten). Stellenbosch is one of the teams we like to play against because they play our similar kind of football. We don’t like to play these other ones, they know who they are, and I won’t mention them. The fact that Stellenbosch are in second place on the log means a lot about them and how good they have been this season. I remember in one of the previous interviews I did with Soccer Laduma where I mentioned that I wish clubs can play against Sundowns with the aim of learning and not hoping to win.
Stellenbosch is one of the teams that have proved that they can play against Sundowns, and they are raising their hands to say they would like to accompany us to Africa next season. That’s why they are just behind us on the log. Stellenbosch is one of the teams that can attack from the first to the last minute. Stellenbosch doesn’t play like a group of guys who travelled from Cape Town to Johannesburg, they play proper football. Those boys are quick and that will make for an interesting game between us and them. They start it from the back and they build up in a nice way. I’m just worried about the choice of match venue as I thought that it would be played at Athlone Stadium.
Key Battle:
Jayden Adams vs Themba Zwane
In the Maroon corner, you have 22-year-old Jayden Adams. It’s been a remarkable 12 months for the young midfielder, featuring twice in the Africa Cup of Nations and being linked with clubs in Belgium as well as Mamelodi Sundowns. After arriving back from relative inactivity at the AFCON in Ivory Coast, it took a few weeks from Adams to get back to top match fitness. Against Polokwane City on Saturday, he assisted three goals for Iqraam Rayners, all of them totally different final balls. For the first goal, he dropped into the left back zone and found Rayners between the lines to fire home. For the second goal, he burst forward to the byline and cut it back for his teammate. The third assist was a through ball, displaying the variety in his passing game. Considering that Adams has quite recently began playing in the double pivot, as opposed to being a number 10, it means there is much more defensive responsibility on his shoulders.
He will therefore be coming into direct competition with Themba Zwane in this semifinal. “Mshishi” is a full 12 years older than Adams and will be something of a role model for the Stellies playmaker. Zwane has had a slightly uncharacteristic season, scoring just one goal despite playing around 2,500 minutes. In fact, by the time this semi-final kicks off, Zwane will be almost nine months without a goal in a Sundowns shirt. In midweek, he assisted three goals for Downs in a victory over TS Galaxy though and we may see him end this season in top form, akin to what we saw in a Bafana Bafana jersey in January and February. Like Adams’ hattrick of assists, Zwane showed his all-round quality with a cross from the right, a backheel and then an unselfish pass. Whilst many will look at prolific strikers like Peter Shalulile and Iqraam Rayners as the key men in this tie, it could be the creative support cast who will have the biggest say on the final result!