Cape Town - The Premier Soccer League (PSL) have named the FNB Stadium as the venue for the Soweto Derby, the country's biggest sporting showpiece, on Saturday afternoon, 6 May.
And fans will have to fork R100 to watch the match, a Nedbank Cup semi-final between arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. The PSL have finalised the dates, times and venue for the two semi-finals.
The other semi-final will be between Stellenbosch FC and Sekhukhune United in the Winelands at Danie Craven Stadium on Sunday evening, 7 May. Unlike the steep R100 fee for the FNB clash, the entry fee in Stellenbosch will be R60.
With defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns knocked out of the competition by Stellenbosch, new champs will be crowned after the final on 27 May.
Stellenbosch will appear in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals for the first time, with their best showing before this season being a second-round exit to Kaizer Chiefs in 2018. Stellenbosch’s 2-1 victory over Sundowns was the first time they came from behind to win a Nedbank Cup game.
It will also be a debut for their semi-final opponents Sekhukhune at this stage of the competition after they bowed out in the Last 32 in their previous two appearances. One of these sides will book a maiden cup final place.
The looming Soweto Derby fixture will be a rare meeting in the Nedbank Cup since the two giants last collided in the Ke Yona Cup in the second round, which was won 2-0 by Pirates in March 2016.
Chiefs advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Royal AM, while Pirates progressed with a hard-fought 5-4 penalty win over ABC Motsepe League side Dondol Stars after the two sides ended 1-1 in regulation time.
Pirates are into the semi-finals for the first time in six years, having last appeared at this stage in 2017. They have had four previous semi-final fixtures since 2008 and have won them all.
None of the coaches remaining in the 2023 Nedbank Cup has lifted the trophy before.
Steve Barker (Stellenbosch FC) took the University of Pretoria to the 2009 final where they lost to Moroka Swallows.
Arthur Zwane (Kaizer Chiefs) has won the South African FA Cup as a player, but not yet as a coach.
Spaniard Jose Riveiro (Orlando Pirates) is in his first year in South African football and already has silverware in the form of the MTN8 title earlier this season.
Brandon Truter (Sekhukhune) has led various teams in the Nedbank Cup before, but this is the furthest he has got to date.
Own goals have been an interesting aspect of this season's competition. There were two own goals in the quarterfinals, taking the total for this season to four. Stellenbosch goalkeeper Lee Langeveldt was unlucky when a shot hit the crossbar and went into the goal off his foot against Sundowns.
Former Pirates defender Thabo Matlaba, now in the colours of Royal AM, scored a spectacular headed own goal against Chiefs in the KwaZulu-Natal sides’ 2-1 loss.
Kamogelo Mogaswa (Pretoria Callies) and Bulelani Nikani (Polokwane City) are the others to have put the ball into their teams' net this season.
@Herman_Gibbs