KERMIT Erasmus of Orlando Pirates is challenged by Ben Motshwari of AmaZulu, who are looking to flip the script at Moses Mabhida Stadium this afternoon. | BackpagePix
AMAZULU head coach Pablo Franco has raised an incentive for his players to write their own history in their Nedbank Cup quarter-final against Orlando Pirates.
Usuthu host the Buccaneers for a second time in three seasons in a cup competition at Moses Mabhida Stadium today (6pm kick-off).
Memories of what turned out to be a disappointing MTN8 final for the home team at the same venue last season will be vivid.
In what has become a second home for Pirates in recent years, having won the MTN8 final twice in a row at the same stadium, the two teams will reconvene again this time under the banner of the Ke Yona competition.
The clash will see Usuthu on the hunt for a first win over the Sea Robbers at the iconic 2010 Fifa World Cup stadium.
It has been widely suggested that AmaZulu have for several years suffered something of a mental block when faced with the Soweto giants, having failed to beat them in any competition in over a decade.
The 2013 season was the last time Usuthu were able to overcome Pirates as ironically, a Bongani Ndulula goal at Orlando Stadium saw the KwaZulu-Natal outfit walk away with all three points in a league game.
Perhaps it would be something of a suspected scripted story that AmaZulu broke their hoodoo against Pirates while under the ownership of a known childhood supporter of the Sea Robbers in Sandile Zungu.
Zungu will now place all of his hopes, divided as they may be, on the shoulders of coach Franco and his players to defy the odds against serial cup winners Pirates.
Franco spoke to the media at the club’s training base ahead of this encounter and stated that his team have proven to be authors of their own history this season, and that he expects them to try and do the same against Pirates.
“If you realise what’s happened so far this season, (it) is that we’re breaking many records; in the 91 years the club has stood, they had never beaten Chiefs in cup competition in 90 minutes, but we beat them at FNB (in the Carling Knockout Cup),” said Franco.
“These are just statistics and records and these records are to be broken, and that’s what we’re going to try and do on Saturday (today).”
“We have already made history by making this quarter-final and now it’s time we make more history by beating one of the best teams in the league and the best in cup competitions over the last two seasons.”
Franco and AmaZulu will take great confidence knowing they’ve been able to go toe-to-toe with Pirates, with their first-round league encounter ending in a goalless stalemate in Orlando.
However, the incentive of making their first Nedbank Cup semi-final since 2010 will also serve as the perfect igniter of fire in the Usuthu chests.
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