With one trophy already in their cabinet, Betway Premiership rookies will begin their conquest for a second on Tuesday when they host a side that is uncharacteristically struggling to find their way in the campaign.
The Carling Knockout champions, Magesi, welcome Gavin Hunt’s SuperSport United to their new home at Seshego Stadium, eager to show that their success in the League Cup was no fluke.
But a lot has changed since the Crocodiles stunned Mamelodi Sundowns with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, and Magesi will be hard-pressed to progress past the first hurdle of the Nedbank Cup.
The man who led them to that glorious victory in the Carling Knockout, Clinton Larsen, has since left — along with his assistant Papi Zothwane. Now under Owen da Gama’s guidance, they have struggled to move away from the bottom spot and are fast becoming a sure bet for relegation.
Yet, when they last played against Sundowns last week, there were some glimpses of promise that things could get better, with Magesi taking the lead by attacking the league champions. Inexplicably, though, they changed their approach and played such a low defensive block that the outcome was always going to be tears. Sundowns duly punished them to win 2-1 at the death, gaining sweet revenge for that Carling Knockout defeat.
Now, they welcome SuperSport — a team that is strangely having a poor season despite improving their squad with some quality signings, including Nyiko Mobbie, Vincent Pule, Pogisho Sanokoa, Brooklyn Poggenpoel, and Samir Nurkic, to mention just five this season.
Gavin Hunt’s men are experiencing a shocking run, with a 'can’t score, can’t defend' situation. Matsatsantsa have scored just four times in their 14 matches, while conceding 11 goals. Such statistics should have the likes of Wonderboy Makhubu rubbing their hands in anticipation of a clash against a team that was expected to be among the title contenders.
Yet, with their league position as precarious as it is — bottom of the table with just seven points from 13 matches — and with one trophy already in the cabinet, the smart move would surely be for Magesi to focus on the league campaign instead of the Nedbank Cup, right?
Not so for the other Limpopo side, Sekhukhune United, who host Muhsin Ertugral’s Cape Town City at the old Peter Mokaba Stadium tonight. Lehlohonolo Seema and his men are enjoying a fantastic league campaign, chasing a continental competition spot as they are. They are fourth on the table with 23 points from 13 matches and would love to have a good Nedbank Cup run.
A win over City tonight will set them on the right path, but Ertugral is renowned for his love of knockout trophies, and you can bet he will travel up to Polokwane with a plan to put Sekhukhune to the sword.
It all makes for two successive nights of intriguing knockout football in Limpopo, and the province would no doubt be eager to see both their teams through to the next round.