Durban — Golden Arrows captain Nduduzo Sibiya has set his sights on making new Nedbank Cup memories, with Royal AM seeking a hat-trick of victories against their KZN rivals.
The two outfits will battle it out for a place in the quarter-finals stages of the competition when they meet at the Princess Magogo Stadium at 3pm.
Sibiya has had a fair share of joyful memories in the Ke Yona competition, scoring the match-winning goal as Abafana Bes’thende eliminated Mamelodi Sundowns back in 2017, before going on to be crowned the Young Player of the Tournament in the same year.
The Lamontville-born midfielder has come a long way from being a scrawny 21-year-old graduating from the club’s academy, and is now cast with the responsibility of captaining the Durban-based side at the age of 27.
Sibiya spoke to the media ahead of his side’s titanic battle against Thwihli Thwahla and revealed that he is looking to leave his mark in the competition once more and to help his side avoid being beaten by Royal AM three times in the same season.
“The Nedbank Cup Young Player of the Tournament award is the only one I have at this level so this competition is close to my heart, but it doesn't help holding onto those things, I need to make things happen now as well.”
He then added: “We're not under any pressure (to win), we’re going into that match looking to fix our mistakes from previous games. They've already beaten us twice this season so we also want to restore our pride and get our revenge on them.
“I know we've disappointed our supporters already this season but we know they're always on our side so we have to go out there and get our revenge. The last time we played, they capitalised on our mistakes in terms of concentration and I know now our guys will be alert from beginning to end.”
Abafana Bes’thende have not lifted any silverware since their memorable 2009 triumph in the MTN8, though did come close to ending their run when they were eliminated at the semi-final stage of the Nedbank Cup in 2019.
Arrows come up against a Royal AM side who not only seem to have their card, but are also on a six-game unbeaten streak under the recently returned John Maduka.
Clashes between the two sides have always provided goal-rich spectacles, their last two meetings churning out seven goals.
IOL Sport