Manqoba Mngqithi targets Nedbank Cup progress

Abafana Bes’thende showed their potential in knockout football earlier this season when they reached the Carling Knockout semi-finals before being eliminated by Marumo Gallants. 

Looking ahead to their Nedbank Cup round of 32 clash against Orbit College, the former Mamelodi Sundowns mentor wants his players to embrace the opportunity without added pressure.

"I"m expecting a stronger year this year, I think we are going to be much better defensively and we will continue to score goals – I'm very confident in the team," said Mngqithi.

"The team is in a good space in terms of chance creation, we just have to settle down and try to kill the anxiety, and see what we can get.

"But as for where one would like to be in the cup, at this stage, I just want to take it one game at a time and see how far we can go – if they manage to arrive in the semifinal, I would be excited of course, but why not get to the final?

"I would also love a situation where a team like Golden Arrows also gets an opportunity to see itself in Africa, if a possibility like that arises, I will really appreciate it."

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Mngqithi expects a challenging encounter at King Zwelithini Stadium, warning that cup matches often produce unpredictable outcomes, despite having earlier claimed a comfortable 3-0 win in their Betway Premiership meeting with Orbit College. 

"It's quite a tricky encounter when you're playing against a team that you've played already this season; it's always tricky because they will give everything to this game," he noted.

"We also have a responsibility to get ourselves in the hat for the last 16, so we know it's a complicated game."