SuperSport United will look to establish a first-leg advantage in their MTN8 semifinal tie with Bloemfontein Celtic when the teams meet at Lucas Moripe Stadium on the afternoon of Sunday.

Kick-off is at 3pm CAT.

SuperSport booked their place in the semifinals with a 3-2 away win over tournament rookies Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila, while Celtic earned their spot in the final four thanks to a surprise 1-0 away win over treble champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

United come into the clash on the back of a disappointing 3-1 loss away to Golden Arrows on Wednesday, October 28. The Durban side had gone eight months without a league win before Matsatsantsa’s visit to Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

SuperSport manager Kaitano Tembo will certainly be hoping for something more in line with the performance his team put up in their opening league clash last weekend, a 2-0 home win over Black Leopards in which Bradley Grobler scored a brace.

The striker was a key man in SuperSport’s MTN8 triumph last season, but he has paid tribute to the role his attacking partner Thamsanqa Gabuza plays in bringing out both the best in him and the team overall.

“I think my partnership with Thami Gabuza needs a special mention. I thought he was unbelievable during the whole campaign and for me he was equally deserving of the award [MTN8 player of the tournament] as well. Credit to him and the rest of the team. Let’s hope one of us can win it again this year,” said Grobler.

Celtic also lost in midweek, narrowly going down 1-0 away to Swallows FC in Soweto thanks to an unfortunate own goal from their defender Ronald Pfumbidzai. That result followed a 1-1 home draw with Arrows on the league’s opening weekend, and see coach John Maduka wanting more from his attack ahead of the clash with SuperSport.

“We’re not mobile enough in the final third,” said Maduka in the wake of the loss to the Birds. “We could get there, but we were not hungry enough to penetrate and try to score.”

He added, “We have to sharpen in the final third, whereby we must be more hungry to score, because you can defend and defend, but at the end of the day if you don’t score the pressure goes back to the defence. This will help us moving forward [to the MTN8 match].”

In head-to-head stats, Celtic and SuperSport have met in four previous cup matches. Phunya Sele Sele have advanced on all four occasions, claiming one outright win and three via penalty shootouts after the teams couldn’t be separated over 120 minutes of football.

The teams’ most recent cup clash was in the last 32 of the 2018 Nedbank Cup: the game ended 1-1 after extra time, with goals from Ndumiso Mabena and Sipho Mbule, before the Bloemfontein team advanced on penalties.

Overall, the teams have clashed in 57 matches across all competitions since 1990, with SuperSport claiming 13 wins compared to 12 for Celtic, while no less than 32 games have been drawn. The teams played to 1-1 draws in both of their league meetings last season, while United have not suffered an outright defeat in this rivalry since a league clash in March 2015.

The return leg will take place at the Dr Molemela Stadium on Saturday 7 November 2020, with the aggregate winners facing either Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates in the final.

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

SuperSport United

Bradley Grobler – The SuperSport striker has a habit of scoring key goals in cup matches in recent seasons and will definitely be a danger man for Celtic to keep an eye on. Grobler’s all-round skills in leading the line gives Matsatsantsa great versatility in attack.

Ronwen Williams – The goalkeeper has often come up trumps in SuperSport’s cup successes in recent years and although the goal threat from Celtic may be sporadic through this tie, United will probably still need him to be at his razor-sharp best.

Bloemfontein Celtic

Victor Letsoalo – The Celtic striker scored the goal which eliminated one Tshwane team in the shape of Mamelodi Sundowns, and he’d love to repeat the trick against the Brazilians’ cross-town rivals SuperSport United.

Lucky Baloyi – The ruggedness, defensive ballast and experience Lucky Baloyi brings to midfield will be key to Celtic’s hopes of claiming a strong result in this first leg. He will need to show grit and leadership against a potent opposition.