Following Sunday’s semi-final draw, Mamelodi Sundowns fans may be forgiven for believing their team already had one hand on the Carling Knockout Cup.
Sundowns advanced to the semi-finals with a 4-0 defeat of Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday. The league champions are the only side currently in the top half of the Betway Premiership table to have qualified for the tournament’s final four, which will be played this weekend.
Magesi FC, Richards Bay, and Marumo Gallants are currently in the Premiership’s bottom six, although they have performed admirably to reach the semi-finals.
The freshly promoted Magesi caused the tournament’s biggest upset, defeating Orlando Pirates 3-2 in the round of 16 at Orlando Stadium. They followed that up with a 1-0 quarterfinal win over TS Galaxy on Sunday.
Clinton Larson’s Magesi will face Richards Bay in the semis, after the KwaZulu-Natal side defeated Cape Town City FC in the quarterfinals via a dramatic penalty shootout after finishing with 10 men on the pitch.
Sundowns will face Marumo Gallants, who eliminated defending Carling Knockout champions Stellenbosch FC with a 1-0 win at the Petrus Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein.
Gallants’ league form has been terrible, with only one win and a draw after six matches.
They will, however, get a week to prepare for the match, whereas Sundowns will face Polokwane City in the league midweek.
The Free State side has an added incentive to make the final, which will be held at their second home, the Free State Stadium, in Bloemfontein on November 23.
But it will be difficult to look past Sundowns to win the trophy. If they play with the same quality as they did in the win over the Chiefs, they will be difficult to stop.
Carling Knockout Cup semi-finals (venues and timings TBD):
Richards Bay versus Magesi FC
Marumo Gallants versus Mamelodi Sundowns
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