Even the coaches say they don’t know who will win
RETURN OF BIG-GUN SOCCER ADDS LUSTRE TO SOCCER POOLS
By Nick Said
Tomorrow’s long-awaited semi-finals of the 2019-20 Nedbank Cup add lots of spice to TAB’s Soccer 4, 6 and 10 pools and it’s tough to predict the outcome of either match.
Five months on the sidelines make the semi-finals even more of a lottery than normal with the coaches of all four sides admitting they are unsure of the form, fitness and mental fortitude of their sides going into the two clashes at the Orlando Stadium.
Baroka FC host Bloemfontein Celtic in the first fixture at 14:00 and then Mamelodi Sundowns clash with BidVest Wits at 19:15 for places in the final, which is scheduled to be played on 8 September.
Ordinarily there would be a form guide for coaches to talk to, but they have admitted they are as clueless as anybody else about how their sides will shape up.
“For me to tell you, ‘we are ready, we know what to do, we know how we will handle this’, I am not brave enough to say that,” Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane says. “I don’t know if they are ready. I have got my expectations from what I have seen on TV.”
Wits coach Gavin Hunt agrees and says he is simply hopeful that his players can rise to the occasion as they prepare to face Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in the space of a week, a punishing schedule at the best of times.
“Most teams are in the same situation, we haven’t trained this week because of all the testing and then you have to wait 48 hours, so the preparation this week has not been great,” Hunt said.
“We are just going to have to prepare the team as best we can and see how far we can go in the game itself. But we are looking forward to it.”
Sundowns last appeared in the final in 2015, when they beat Ajax Cape Town on penalties. They also lifted the Nedbank Cup trophy in 2008. Wits were 2010 winners, while Baroka FC and Bloemfontein Celtic are seeking a first appearance in a Nedbank final.