Stellenbosch coach welcomes Kaizer Chiefs cup draw

by Graeme Jackson

Saturday Feb 17, 2018. 10:00

Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker has welcomed his side’s Nedbank Cup draw, which has pitted them against Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs.

The National First Division (second tier) side were paired with the Amakhosi in Thursday night’s draw - the second year in a row they will host Chiefs in South Africa’s equivalent of the FA Cup.

"Whatever happens, you know the cup games are a different kind of football," Barker told Kick-Off.

"Obviously Kaizer Chiefs are the best when it comes to winning a trophy. So ja, we are looking forward to the encounter and obviously it will be a nice opportunity for the players to play against a big team like Chiefs and [have] the opportunity to showcase their abilities. So ja, we are happy with the draw.

"And I think it goes two ways; you get a draw against a lower division team and you believe there's a better opportunity to advance, but after failing then you'll want to play the big teams.

“So it's a good thing for us as a club to play Kaizer Chiefs so people can know that Stellenbosch do exist and it will be exciting for the club."

Stellies were beaten 3-0 by Chiefs in the last 32 round of the 2017 Nedbank Cup.

"Yes, we played them last season also in the last-32, and ja this time we've got them in the last-16. We have to [fancy our chances], we were very competitive in our last game against them you know.

“They had three chances and they took their three chances. We had chances earlier in the game also but couldn't put them under pressure and get a goal.

"Look at Cape Town All Stars for instance, they had a good chance to take a lead against Sundowns... and they paid the price. But we must know we can't make mistakes because good teams and good players will capitalise.

"We've already shown that the NFD is another competitive league with good quality. We need to be confident enough that we can go there and get a result otherwise we will be wasting our time going there. Definitely we have to have the faith and believe that we can cause an upset.

"At this stage we want to take one game at a time. It will be a very difficult game against Kaizer Chiefs as they are a quality side. They are the biggest team in the country but for now we are focusing on our next match."