All of the PSL’s KwaZulu-Natal based teams have been handed home advantage in the first round of the Carling Knockout Cup.
AmaZulu, Durban City, Richards Bay and Lamontville Golden Arrows will all play their round of 16 games at their respective home grounds.
The tournament will begin on 4 October with the round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals on the weekend of 25 October. The semi-finals will be played on 8 November and the final will take place on 6 December.
The tournament will conclude with the winning side facing off against the Carling All Stars team on 13 December, which will be voted for by the fans.
Usuthu will face current champions Magesi, Durban City will host Polokwane City, Richards Bay will tackle Chippa United, and Golden Arrows will attempt to overcome Sekhukhune United whom they have already lost to in the Betway Premiership.
AmaZulu’s Bongani Zungu believes Usuthu have a tough first round match-up against the defending champions, but will be motivated by their home fans
“We’re playing against a very tough team. We recently just played them and they’re getting very strong and becoming a very difficult team to play against. But we’re looking forward to the game. We’re playing at home in front of our fans. It’s going to be a very tough game, but hopefully we can get positive results,” he said.
Speaking ahead of their clash with Sekhukhune, Arrows’ Velemseni Ndwandwe stated his side are motivated to play Babina Noko again.
“There’s no better time to play them than now. We’re playing a very good team in Sekhukhune. I think for us, it’s motivating to play them and I think we’ll go for everything against them,” said Ndwandwe.
The 29-year-old believes that the cup competition provides a platform for his side to showcase their talent and improvement.
“I think doing well in the Cup, it shows the whole of the league how good our team is. I think if you don’t win matches, you don’t see how good the players are. And I think people will start believing in our style of play because now we’re still building.”
