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Expectations are that this year’s Nedbank Cup final will pit the powerhouses of SA football: Orlando Pirates versus Mamelodi Sundowns.
But first things first, Pirates and Sundowns must clear the last hurdle in this weekend’s semifinals to make the decider at Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga on 1 June.
READ: What's next for Sundowns? A treble is on the cards for PSL champions
The two giants will be playing away.
The Buccaneers will face Chippa United at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Saturday.
Sundowns will also travel to the coast, in the Western Cape, for their last four fixtures against Stellenbosch FC at the Danie Craven Stadium on Sunday.
Both matches will kick off at 3pm.
Pirates are heading into their game in great form.
READ: Downs get Fifa Club World Cup ticket, thanks in part to Percy Tau
Coach Jose Riveiro’s side won their last four matches in all competitions, putting up performances that yielded 18 goals with just three conceded.
Since he was appointed Bucs head coach at the beginning of last season, Riveiro has won the MTN8 twice and he is the defending Nedbank Cup champion.
READ: Stellies is transforming into a force in SA football
The only blemish in cup runs was when Pirates were knocked out by Richards Bay at the quarterfinal stage of the inaugural Carling Knockout, which was won by Stellenbosch.
The Pirates coach told the media this week:
Interestingly, Sundowns will face a Stellensbosch side, which counts among the few teams that have beaten Sundowns in recent times.
Stellies, as the club from the Cape Winelands is affectionately known, knocked out coach Rulani Mokwena's side in the quarterfinal stage of the Nedbank Cup last season.
If anything, this weekend's semifinals will shine the spotlight on the PSL's in-form strikers, Tshegofatso Mabasa of Pirates with 13 goals, and his Stellenbosch counterpart Iqraam Rayners, who is the leading league scorer with 14 goals.
The Buccaneers will host Chippa at Orlando Stadium, Soweto, on Wednesday (8 May), while Sundowns will return to Cape Town for their meeting with Stellenbosch on 18 May.
