The match of the weekend pits SuperSport United against Richards Bay.
Here’s a breakdown of the weekend’s fixtures.
Milford pulled a shock win over Kaizer Chiefs in the last 32 only to secure themselves another tough draw against DSTV Prem side, Stellenbosch FC.
The Stallions’ form has taken a nosedive since their historic penalty shootout win at the FNB Stadium, going on to lose two successive league matches. Those defeats have seen them drop to 14th place having collected 20 points. It has been a struggle for the newbies in the second division and their giant-slaying win against Chiefs peppered those concerns.
Stellenbosch have restarted the second part of the season in poor form, and have recorded just a single win in their five games this year. They qualified for the last 16 after struggling against second division side Pretoria Callies and eventually won via a penalty shootout. Steve Barker’s side have failed to recover their ominous form of last year, when they went on to lift the inaugural Carling Knockout Cup.
Form and history count for little in knockout competitions. But I do believe that Stellenbosch will have the upper hand in this tie even though their form is worrying. Stellies’ quality attack will make the difference here.
Chippa qualified for this round with an unconvincing 2-1 win over another amateur side, NC Pros. A hammering was expected but it wasn’t to be as the Chilli Boys failed to assert dominance throughout, eventually scoring twice in the second-half. The Chill Boys had been unbeaten in three league games before their 2-0 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday.
Ravens defeated another lower league side Spain FC 3-1 via penalty shootout to book a ticket to the last 16. They are placed second in the ABC Motsepe League, trailing Sinenkani by two points. They are unbeaten in ten games, winning eight and drawing two.
Although both teams are based in the Eastern Cape, I don’t believe the amateurs may punch above their weight in this match. The Chilli Boys have been revived under Thabo September and Kwanele Kopo, I see them going through to the last eight.
The Rich Boys qualified to the last 16 following an entertaining 3-2 win over Polokwane City in the last week of February. That result hasn’t changed much as Bay have continued to drop points in the second-half of the season and find themselves in immediate danger of slipping into the automatic relegation spot in the DSTV Prem.
SuperSport, on the other hand have blown hot and cold this year and are yet to taste victory in a full 90 minutes’ play. They sealed passage to this stage with a penalty shootout win over Cape Town City and followed that with a five game winless run across all competitions. The last league fixture between the two ended with the Natal Rich Boys securing a 3-1 win in Pretoria.
Richards Bay have conceded three times in four games while their visitors have not kept a clean sheet in five straight appearances. I don’t see this game turning into a goal fest, SuperSport should easily qualify at the expense of the home side.
