Durban City seek quick response against Chippa United in Nedbank Cup clash

Durban City will look to respond to their recent league setback when they take on Chippa United in the Nedbank Cup last-32 match at Chatsworth Stadium on Friday (7pm kick-off).

The encounter comes just days after the two sides met in the Betway Premiership, where the KwaZulu-Natal club suffered their first defeat under new coach Sinethemba Badela, who assumed the role in late December following his departure from Chippa. 

The cup tie now offers City a chance to regroup and deliver a stronger performance almost immediately.

Since securing promotion to the top flight at the end of last season, the Citizens have produced steady displays in the league. However, their character will be tested as they prepare to face the same opposition that overcame them last weekend, making the upcoming fixture even more demanding.

Badela expects another difficult contest against his former team, particularly because both sides are already familiar with each other’s approach after their recent meeting.

“We are expecting a tough game, as we did last Saturday,” Badela said ahead of the match.

“They are a team we just played and a very difficult team. We are well aware of their strengths and also their weaknesses. We have been working very hard to make sure that come Friday we are even more prepared than we were on Saturday.”

With one victory and one defeat in his opening matches in charge, Badela will be determined to guide his side to a positive result in his first cup tie with his new club.

The former Mamelodi Sundowns development coach believes the recent loss provided useful insight into his squad as they continue working towards closing the identified gaps.

“Of course we have a lot of work to do, but I must say the players are giving me everything that they have and I am well aware of the amount of work we must do.

“But they are trying their best and it’s for us to take it one day at a time and improve them, and we started well in our first official game.

“We lost the second game, and it gave me a lot more information on the group, which is what we need. We need to take that so that we can improve, because when the team wins you do not see everything, but with a defeat you get to understand your team a little bit more, and moving forward we will be better.”

City will be looking to improve on their quarterfinal finish last season. Badela added that although his familiarity with Chippa could provide useful insight, the deciding factor will ultimately be the players’ performance on the pitch.

“It helps when you know the players because you can give your current players a little bit of information on them, but at the end of the day it’s about who wants it more and the game belongs to the players.

“It will be eleven against eleven on the pitch and the better team will win, so we try to give the players as much information as we can, but I do not think that will be the deciding factor. The deciding factor will be who scores the most goals and concedes less on Friday.”