Casric Stars dare to dream as AmaZulu stand between them and Nedbank Cup semifinal

“The Believers”, as the Mpumalanga-based side is popularly known, are one of the four lower-division teams still in the competition and play top-flight side AmaZulu FC in the quarterfinals this weekend. When the two teams lock horns at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban tomorrow, Mthombeni says they will be looking to write a new chapter in their book.

"I think as a coach it's good for the brand and for the players. It's the first time in our entire history that we have gone as far as the quarterfinals. It's showing that as team and players we are growing day by day because it's the first time we have gone this far and playing against the big teams," said Mthombeni

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"We respected Orlando Pirates. The only thing is we stuck to the game plan and we also respected them"

"It's not going to be the biggest thing we have achieved. We need to stay humble and make sure we take one game at a time. We're not going to go there and think it's the same as [Orlando Amstel] Arena, this one is a different ball game."

Casric are meeting an AmaZulu team that’s been struggling in recent league matches, winless in four games, with three losses and a draw. But Mthombeni is not looking at Usuthu lightly, having identified their strongest points going into this last eight-match.

This season’s Ke Yona edition has proven that the underdogs can bite, the Mpumalanga-based team has already claimed the scalp of Premier Division’s log leaders, Orlando Pirates, and Mthombeni says anything is possible going into this AmaZulu game.

Casric are also still vying for promotion to the big league, currently placed fourth on the log with 34 points from 19 matches, just two points behind log leaders Milford FC. In their past two matches in this tournament, they have been rotating their squad, and Mthombeni says they will continue doing so, but not to the same extent in this crucial encounter.