IT’S a proverbial “David versus Goliath” battle and, on paper, this Nedbank Cup Last 16 match should be a walkover.
But anyone who thinks the match against ABC Motsepe League outfit EC Bees will be a “walk in the park” for PSL giants Mamelodi Sundowns, may be in for a swarm or two.
EC Bees coach Chippa Njedu has vowed to “sting” the mighty Brazilians in their Nedbank Last 16 encounter at Loftus Versfeld tonight (7.30pm).
“In football anything can happen, especially if Sundowns come with the mentality that we are a small team,” said Njedu.
“Everything has gone well with our preparation and we are ready for them. The boys are motivated and want to win this one badly. We will surprise them.”
Njedu added that they had learned from their loss to Orlando Pirates in the same competition last season and need not be reminded of Sundowns’ strength.
“We watch them, we know their quality and we’ve seen what they can do to teams in the lower divisions,” Njedu added.
“But it won’t be another 24-0 Powerlines scoreline. Definitely not against us!
“We’ve played Pirates before and some of the boys we had then are still with the team. Their presence will make a difference.
“Of course, playing away from home is the biggest challenge. It would be better at home, with more support. But we give it our outmost best.”
Without revealing much of his game plan, Njedu said it would be suicidal to focus on individuals against well-rounded Downs teeming with stars such as Percy Tau, Themba Zwane and Sibusiso Vilakazi.
It remains to be seen whether Manqoba Mngqithi, who is in charge, will roll out the big guns, given the tight fixture schedule.
However, barring a miracle, Sundowns can almost certainly look forward to the Ke Yona quarterfinals, although Mngqithi wouldn’t want to count his chickens before they’ve hatched.
Besides, the assistant coach wouldn’t want to mess up in the absence of head coach, Pitso Mosimane, who is away on a Caf coaching course in Morocco.
“We have to respect every team in this tournament. There are no easy matches in cup competitions. Games are won through effort,” said Mngqithi.
