The ABSA Premiership takes a back seat this weekend as the Nedbank Cup reaches its business end. The semi-finals will see Chippa United take on the defending champions Supersport United on Saturday May 20
th while Orlando Pirates will be looking to put a dismal year domestically behind them and end on a high when they travel to Kwa-Zulu Natal to face Golden Arrows on Sunday May 21
st. Kick-off at 3pm each day.
The Chilli Boys got their cup preparations underway in the perfect manner, beating this weekend’s opponents 3-0 on Wednesday evening to end a run of five consecutive league defeats for the men from Port Elizabeth. Rhulani Manzini netted a hat-trick as Supersport United Head Coach Stuart Baxter rested a number of key players for their PSL clash with one eye on the last-four of the cup so the midweek result shouldn’t be looked into too deeply. That was only Chippa’s first win over Matsatsantsa in eight attempts, with three of those ending in draws.
Chippa United vs Supersport United head-to-head
Played - 8
Chippa United Wins – 1
Draws – 3
Supersport United Wins – 4
Chippa United Goals Scored – 8
Supersport United Goals Scored – 10
Recent Form (most recent first)
Chippa United (Last 10 all competitions) WLLLLWLDWL
Supersport United (Last 10 all competitions) LDWWDDWD*L
*drew 1-1 with Kaizer Chiefs in Nedbank cup – won 5-3 on penalties.
Kjell Jonevret took over the helm at the Buccaneers in February and his appointment has not had the desired effect they might have hoped. Seven draws in 12 league outings have earned them the nickname ‘Drawlando Pirates’ with just two wins coming in that period. The Swede came with a reputation however as somewhat of a cup mastermind and Pirates now find themselves in the last-four of the Nedbank Cup, having beaten fellow PSL opposition in Free State Stars and Bloemfontein Celtic along the way. A trophy to add to their cabinet at the end of the campaign will signal some sort of success for what has been a sour season. It seems almost certain that Pirates will finish outside the top eight for the first time in PSL history and will miss out on a lucrative spot in the MTN 8 competition next year where 8 million Rand is up for grabs for the winner.
2 points and 2 places separate Golden Arrows in 9
th and Orlando Pirates in 11
th on the ABSA Premiership table and Sunday’s semi-final will both sides battle it out before facing each other one more time in the final round of league fixtures next weekend. Abafana Bes’thende will have an uphill task on their hands if they are reach their first cup final since winning the MTN 8 in 2009. They have played the men from Soweto 27 times previously in all competitions and have come away with victory on just four occasions. Those four wins all came in the league and their victory over Pirates in 2015 ended a run of 12 straight defeats to the Sea Robbers.
Golden Arrows vs Orlando Pirates head-to-head
Played – 27
Golden Arrows Wins – 4
Draws – 4
Orlando Pirates Wins – 19
Golden Arrows Goals Scored – 21
Orlando Pirates Goals Scored – 48
Recent Form (most recent first)
Golden Arrows (Last 10 all competitions) LWDLLWDLWW
Orlando Pirates (Last 10 all competitions) DDLLWDDDWW