PIC: Keegan Dolly of Kaizer Chiefs challenged by Siboniso Conco of Maritzburg United

The 2023 Nedbank Cup Last 32 will get under way on Tuesday as the teams slug it out for a place in the next stage and one step closer to the most coveted knockout trophy in South African football.
We have provided a guide with all you need to know about the 16 matches at this stage of the competition.

 

MAMELODI SUNDOWNS VS RICHARDS BAY

February 7, 2023 – Loftus Stadium (19h30)
Defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns will have a sense of déjà vu after they defeated Richards Bay 4-0 in the Last 32 on their way to lifting the title last season.

Back then the KwaZulu-Natal side were in the second-tier but gained promotion at the end of the campaign and have acquitted themselves very well in the topflight.
In fact, these two sit first and second respectively in the topflight, so this is a top-of-the-table cup clash! They have already met in the league, with Sundowns claiming a 2-0 away victory.
Sundowns have won two of the last three Nedbank Cup titles. They have four in all since 2008, more than any other side.
The Brazilians have only exited twice before in the Last 32 over the past 15 editions – losing to Orlando Pirates (0-1) in 2011 and Chippa United (1-2) in 2019. They have made the semifinals at least in four of the last five years.
As such, Sundowns have played the most games (52), have the most wins (52) and scored the most goals (116) since the competition was first played in its current guise.
Richards Bay have four wins and four defeats in their eight previous Nedbank Cup games, but this is the first time they compete as a topflight side.
They stunned Kaizer Chiefs with a Last 32 win in 2021 before losing 2-1 to Chippa United in the quarterfinals, their best showing yet.
Their other two defeats were both against Bloemfontein Celtic in 2018 and 2019. 

 

MARUMO GALLANTS VS MAGESI FC 

February 7, 2023 – Royal Bafokeng Stadium (19h30)
A Limpopo Derby, Gallants have appeared in the final of the Nedbank Cup in the last two years, winning in 2021 (as TTM) and losing to Mamelodi Sundowns last year. They can now chase a unique hattrick.

Magesi previously appeared in the Last 32 in 2013 and 2016, making the second round on the latter occasion before a chastening 6-0 loss to BidVest Wits. They were a third-tier side on that occasion but are now in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.

It will be a first competitive meeting between the two, and comes soon after Gallants placed coach Dan Malesela, who won the Nedbank Cup with TS Galaxy in 2019, on special leave.

Dylan Kerr, who was coach when Gallants won this title in 2021, returns to the club as a technical advisor.

Gallants have an excellent record in the competition with only two defeats in their 12 games, one of which was the 2022 final loss to Mamelodi Sundowns (1-2) right at the end of extra-time.

The other was to Chippa United in the Last 16 in 2019 when they campaigned in the second-tier. They would get their revenge though by beating Chippa 1-0 in the 2021 final.

 

SUPERSPORT UNITED VS DONDOL STARS

February 8, 2023 – Lucas Moripe Stadium (19h30)
A Tshwane Derby between three-time winners SuperSport United and Mamelodi-based amateur side Dondol Stars, providing the prospect of a David vs Goliath giant-killing act. 

SuperSport had never lost to lower league opposition before being ousted from the Nedbank Cup by second-tier TTM last season, though since then they have re-hired coach Gavin Hunt.

Hunt was a Nedbank Cup winner with Matsatsantsa in 2012 and actually made three finals in a row, losing with SuperSport to Kaizer Chiefs in 2013 and with BidVest Wits to Orlando Pirates in 2014. 
SuperSport were also winners in 2016 and 2017 under Stuart Baxter, but then were knocked out in the Last 32 for four seasons in a row before they reached the quarterfinals again in 2022.

Stars are making their Last 32 debut. They were formed in 2014 when their current owners purchased the fourth-tier status of Bronkhorstspruit-based MSD Devoted Angels.
They have been a feature of the Gauteng ABC Motsepe League for a number of years and have been superb in the current 2022/23 season. At the turn of the year they had a massive nine-point lead at the top of the table, suffering just a single defeat.

 

SEKHUKHUNE UNITED VS LIVER BROTHERS

February 8, 2023 – Peter Mokaba Stadium (19h30)

Liver Brothers are the only side from the fourth tier of South African football competing in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 this year and will hope to emulate Vaal University of Technology, who ousted Lamontville Golden Arrows on penalties in 2020.

Sekhukhune have looked improved since the arrival of coach Brandon Truter and are hoping to avoid a third successive Last 32 defeat, having never won a match in the competition.

The topflight side debuted in 2021 but lost 2-1 to Maritzburg United, before being ousted on penalties by second-tier Platinum City Rovers last year.
They will hope for third time lucky and should be confident of getting past a team four divisions below them, especially given their recent excellent form.
Liver Brothers are based in based in Kildare in the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality and unveiled coach Magic Nyalungu as the start of this season in the hope that he will guide them to promotion and a run in the Nedbank Cup.
They are hugely popular in the local community and have been in existence since the 1960s, without making it to the professional ranks, but are keen to change that under current president Pat Khumalo.
The team had made a solid start to their league season at the turn of the year, including a 7-0 success against Bohlabela Black Swallows FC.

 

CAPE TOWN SPURS VS BAROKA FC

February 10, 2023 – Athlone Stadium (15h00)

Cape Town Spurs are improving under the experienced coaching duo of Shaun Bartlett and Nasief Morris and will provide a big test for three-time Nedbank Cup semifinalists Baroka FC.

It was not so long ago this was a topflight fixture, but both clubs now find themselves in the MFC and bidding for promotion back to the big-time.

They have yet to meet in the league this season as their January 7 encounter was postponed, but this is a repeat of the 2021 Nedbank Cup Last 32 game where Spurs came out on top.
The teams played to a 1-1 draw and young goalkeeper Lincoln Vyver was the hero for the Mother City club as they won the shoot-out 5-4.
Spurs were runners-up in 2015 while campaigning as Ajax Cape Town, but have lost in the Last 32 in eight of their last 10 appearances.
Baroka FC are one of the most famous names in Nedbank Cup history having had a number of giant-killing acts while they campaigned in South Africa’s third-tier, later rising through the ranks to become a DStv Premiership club.
In 2011 they defeated top-flight Moroka Swallows in the second round, before claiming a stunning 2-1 success over Kaizer Chiefs in the quarterfinals. They eventually lost on penalties to Black Leopards in the semifinals that year.
They reached the semis again in 2016 while in the second-tier, but on that occasion went out to SuperSport United.
Their third trip to the semifinals was in 2020 when, in the first game in the Gauteng bio-bubble, they lost 3-0 to Bloemfontein Celtic.
  

 

MARITZBURG UNITED VS KAIZER CHIEFS

February 10, 2023 – Harry Gwala Stadium (19h30)

Kaizer Chiefs may welcome the fact they have avoided a lower league opponent such has been the regularity with which they have been beaten by teams in the divisions below them over the years. 

Chiefs are looking to avoid a hattrick of first round exits in the Nedbank Cup as they strive for a first trophy win since 2015, already a club record wait for silverware. They last lifted this particular trophy in 2013.
The AmaKhosi have lost in the Last 32 in the previous two seasons, going out to second-tier Richards Bay in 2021 and TS Galaxy last year. But exits at this stage have been rare over the last 15 years, the only other time being in 2016 when they were beaten by archrivals Orlando Pirates.

Maritzburg were Nedbank Cup runners-up in 2018 but have not made it past the second round in the other seven years since they reached the semifinals in 2014.
The club are still seeking their first trophy and with coach Fadlu Davids back at the helm for another spell, will feel this is a big chance.

Chiefs won their last encounter 3-0 at home earlier this season, but in the last nine meetings overall, they only lead the head-to-head 4-3, with two draws.

That suggests this could be a close tie and the wily Davids will certainly have a plan for them.

 

LAMONTVILLE GOLDEN ARROWS VS PRETORIA CALLIES

February 11, 2023 – Princess Magogo Stadium (15h00)

Both these teams have been Nedbank Cup semifinals fairly recently, but Callies also have Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC) survival on their minds as they struggle near the bottom of the second-tier.

Golden Arrows have been knocked out of the Nedbank Cup in the Last 32 in the previous three seasons, including by fourth-tier Vaal University of Technology (2020) and second-tier TTM (2022). They might have preferred to meet a team they know more about.

Abafana Bes’thende have also had some up and down form in the league, losing three of their last four games. They have not been involved in a draw since the middle of October, since when they have won three and lost six.
It will make them hard to read but they might also see the cup as a chance to rediscover their winning touch.  
Callies have been better since the resumption of the league season following the world Cup in Qatar with seven points from a possible nine and are out of the relegation zone.

The side made it all the way to the semifinals in 2021 before a narrow 1-0 loss to Chippa United as they rose back to national prominence on the back of the run.
They are the oldest professional team in South Africa’s top two divisions with a history that dates back to 1898, and count one of the country’s great footballers, Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe among their former players.

Callies were a leading side in the 1970s and early 80s, and enjoyed many successes over the likes of Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, mostly led by Moripe but also another great in Jan Lechaba, and the likes of Scara Thindwa and Mark Anderson.

They currently have former Golden Arrows striker Collins Mbesuma at the club helping their strikers, and he will have an idea or two.

 

FC BLACKCROSS VS VENDA FOOTBALL ACADEMY

February 11, 2023 – Dr Molemela Stadium (15h00)

Free State amateurs FC BlackCross will be relishing bringing Venda Football Academy to Botshabelo and fancy their chances of an upset win.

They are debuting in the competition this year, while Venda made the second round in their first showing last season but lost on penalties to University of Pretoria after a thrilling 3-3 draw.  

By the start of 2023, BlackCross had a near perfect record in the third-tier with 28 points from a possible 30 in the league and their maiden Nedbank Cup qualification.

They are the only side from the Free State province in this year’s Nedbank Cup and will proudly fly the flag for the province.

They have a number of notable players in their squad, including former Bloemfontein Celtic forward Mpusana Tani.

Second-tier Venda Football Academy will be making their second successive appearance in the Nedbank Cup after owner Robinson Ramaite purchased the status of Cape United ahead of the 2021/22 season.

Last year they defeated African All Stars 3-1 in the Last 32 but then came unstuck against University of Pretoria as they lost a penalty shoot-out following a thrilling 3-3 draw.

It was still a strong showing and they will no doubt point to the fact that they have yet to lose a game in the competition!

 

STELLENBOSCH FC VS SWALLOWS FC

February 11, 2023 – Athlone Stadium (15h00)

This all-Premiership clash between two sides who tend to blow hot and cold is a difficult one to read, but with just a single victory in their last six Nedbank Cup games, the signs are not good for Stellenbosch.
They have found this a difficult competition to master, which belies the fact that on their day they can be a match for anyone.
Their only win so far was in the Last 32 in 2018 when they beat Highlands Park 1-0. Otherwise they have lost to Kaizer Chiefs (twice), Mamelodi Sundowns and Baroka FC, while they also lost a shoot-out against Maritzburg United in 2020 after a 2-2 draw.

It is fair to say that the draw has not been kind to them down the years, but this is another difficult tie.
Swallows gave fared only slightly better making the Last 16 in the previous two seasons. They got past lower league opponents on both occasions before losing to TTM and Royal AM respectively. 

The head-to-head record between the sides mostly contains draws, with four out of the five past meetings. Stellenbosch won 2-1 when the teams met in the league in September to break that run.

MPHENI HOME DEFENDERS VS CLAREWOOD FC

February 11, 2023 – Thohoyandou Stadium (15h00)

A battle between two ABC Motsepe League sides that ensures we will have at least one team from the SAFA structures in the Last 16.

Both make their debut at this stage of the competition and will be seeking to carry some excellent league form into the fixture. Home Defenders are from Limpopo, while Clarewood must travel the breadth of the country from their Cape Town base.    
Home defenders are coached by Sydwell Phuravhathu and will be confident of a win in what is likely to be the heat of the Limpopo afternoon.
They have shown themselves to be excellent at the third-tier level and have a couple of brushes with the playoffs.
Clarewood have coach Ashraf Calvert in charge and a stalwart ex-PSL player in former Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United defender Mario Booysen.

He played in the 2016 Nedbank Cup final when SuperSport United beat Orlando Pirates in the final and was on the bench the following year as Matsatsantsa repeated the feat.

Clarewood are a new name in South African football but are making great strides having recently signed a partnership with Turkish topflight outfit Antalyaspor.
That is a huge move for a team that is not only about what happens on the pitch, but also empowering players off it by insisting they do an entrepreneurship course and seek tertiary education.
The club, who are making their debut in the Nedbank Cup Last 32, will change their name to Cape Town Antalyaspor in due course.

ALL STARS FC VS ORLANDO PIRATES

February 11, 2023 – BidVest Stadium (20h00)

Pirates have already lifted the MTN8 this season so are chasing a second trophy and standing in their way in the Last 32 is MFC side All Stars, who have settled in well since their relocation from Cape Town to Gauteng.

Pirates have only lost once to lower league opposition, a shock 4-1 defeat to third-tier Maluti FET College in 2013, but have just one quarterfinal showing in the last five Nedbank Cup following back-to-back finals defeats in 2016 and 2017.
They have not made it past the quarterfinals since those twin final defeats and twice lost in the Last 32 in that period, going out to Black Leopards on penalties in 2019 and BidVest Wits, also via spot-kicks, the following year. 
In fact, Pirates have been ousted from the Nedbank Cup via penalties on three of the last four occasions, the odd one out a thumping 4-1 defeat at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns. 
They have been involved in five penalty shootouts since 2008 and the only time they have been successful was against then second-tier Thanda Royal Zulu in the Last 32 in 2014. They went on to lift the trophy that year.

All Stars reached the quarterfinals last year but before that lost four Last 32 games in a row, though to be fair their opponents included Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and BidVest Wits. They have never beaten a topflight side in the competition.   

 

AMAZULU VS TORNADO FC

February 12, 2023 – King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium (15h00)
AmaZulu have been to one cup final this year in the MTN8 and that will have given them the taste for more as they prepare to face Northern Cape ABC Motsepe League side Tornado FC.

The Upington team is not to be confused with the now defunct club of the same name from the Eastern Cape who appeared in the Nedbank Cup in 2015 and 2019. 

This Tornado are making their debut and might fancy their chance of an upset against an Usuthu side who have not been past the second round of the Nedbank Cup since they were semifinalists in 2012.

They have lost in the Last 32 in seven of their 10 appearances since then, including to third-tier side Tembu Royals in 2013.
Aside from that loss, their other two meetings with teams from the third tier since 2008 went swimmingly. They thumped Young Ones 14-0 in 2008 and beat Real Madrid 5-0 in 2011.
Usuthu do hold the unenviable record of having reached the Nedbank Cup competition final on six occasions since 1971 and never won. The last was in 2010 when they were beaten 3-0 by BidVest Wits, who got a glut of goals late on.

Tornado are something of surprise qualifiers having not fared particularly well in their league campaign so far this season but found the winning touch in the Nedbank Cup qualifiers.
The team defeated Kuruman Kicks 3-2 in their final provincial qualifier all the way back in October.
Known as ‘Die Wind’, the club have spent more than a decade in the third tier and will hope to show the continued improvement of lower league teams from the Northern Cape in the Nedbank Cup.
Many are compared to fourth-tier Powerlines FC, who were thumped 24-0 by Mamelodi Sundowns in 2012, but the truth is clubs from the province have been much more competitive in recent years.

 

TS GALAXY VS AMAVARARA

February 12, 2023 – BidVest Stadium (15h00)
TS Galaxy will host this Nedbank Cup clash against third-tier side Amavarara in the unfamiliar surrounds of the BidVest Stadium in Johannesburg, a long way from their traditional home of the Mbombela Stadium.  
Galaxy have been giant-killers in this competition before, not least when they were 2019 winners, beating Kaizer Chiefs in the final, still the only second-tier side to lift the trophy.

They are now in the DStv Premiership and hoping to avoid becoming a victim themselves against Eastern Cape outfit Amavarara. The latter have competed in the Nedbank Cup before, making the second round in 2020 before losing to Black Leopards.
Amavarara saw off Super Eagles in the Last 32 that year, before going out in the second stage. They are the only one of the eight teams from the SAFA structures this season who have played in the Nedbank Cup before.

Galaxy have only ever lost once outright in the Nedbank Cup, when they were defeated 3-0 by Chippa United in the Last 32 in 2020.
They went out on penalties to TS Sporting in 2021 and Baroka FC last year, having beaten Kaizer Chiefs in the Last 32.

 

MKHAMBATHI FC VS CASRIC STARS 

February 12, 2023 – Harry Gwala Stadium (15h00)

KwaZulu-Natal ABC Motsepe League side Mkhambathi FC might have been hoping for a bigger fish in the Last 32 but will find Casric Stars a tough proposition.

Their opponents were born out of the ashes of Free State Stars, who were Nedbank Cup winners in 2018, and have Ea Lla Koto legend Paulus Masehe as their co-coach.
Stars have been the form team in the second-tier over the last six or seven games and are flying high in the league.
They have a form man in Kgomotso Mosadi, who has been sensational for them, netting eight goals in his first 12 league starts and grabbing a hattrick in the preliminary round of the Nedbank Cup against Uthongathi.

Pietermaritzburg-based Mkhambathi FC will debut in the 2023 Nedbank Cup and hope to showcase their potential as a side who can be elevated to the professional ranks in the coming years.

The KwaZulu-Natal ABC Motsepe League side turned the year in third in their division, keeping them among the promotion hunt, but will also be eager to spring a surprise in the Nedbank Cup.

They enjoy excellent local support and this will be no easy away day for any team should they face-off in the Last 32.

 

CAPE TOWN CITY VS ROYAL AM

February 12, 2023 – Cape Town Stadium (18h00)
These two sides will know each other inside out. Not only did they meet in the Last 32 of the Nedbank Cup in Durban in 2022, where Royal AM were 2-1 winners, but they also met a few weeks ago in the league. City ran out 2-1 home victors on that occasion. 

They have played each other four times, with City leading the head-to-head 2-1 and a single draw, which came in Cape Town last April.

Both sides will have a real eye on the trophy and see the Nedbank Cup as a realistic chance to bring in silverware. 
City have already won the Telkom Knockout and MTN8 in their short history, but have yet to make a real impression on the Nedbank Cup.
They have first round exits against third-tier Acornbush (2017) and Witbank Spurs (2020) to go with that Last defeat at Royal AM last year.
They reached the Last 16 in 2021 but lost to Chippa United, and were quarterfinalists in 2018 and 2019 but lost to Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs respectively.

Royal AM debuted in the Nedbank Cup in 2020 and reached the quarterfinals before losing 4-0 to the now defunct BidVest Wits. They went out in the first round in 2021, losing to fellow second-tier side Pretoria Callies.

They made it all the way to the semifinals in 2022 with a thrilling run that was ended with a narrow 2-1 loss to eventual winners Mamelodi Sundowns.

They will hope to go one better this year and, on their day, can be a match for any side.

 

POLOKWANE CITY VS CHIPPA UNITED

February 14, 2023 – Old Peter Mokaba Stadium (19h30)

The final match in the round between one of the frontrunners in the MFC and a Chippa United side that have been up and down this season.

Chippa were beaten Nedbank Cup finalists in 2021, the closest they have come to lifting the trophy though they have been to three semifinals in all since 2017 and clearly enjoy this competition.

They exited at the hands of second-tier University of Pretoria in the Last 32 last year and will hope there is no repeat against Polokwane City.

Chippa United initially struggled in the Nedbank Cup and it took them five games to get their first win, which included a loss to third-tier Natal United in 2015, but they went on to reach the semifinals in 2017 before losing to SuperSport United on penalties.
They repeated that feat in 2019, but this time went down 4-2 to Kaizer Chiefs, missing out on the chance to play second-tier TS Galaxy in the final.
They went one better in 2021 as they reached the decider at the Free State Stars, but ended up losing 1-0 to champions Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila.

City have never been past the quarterfinals and lost in the Last 32 in six of their 10 previous appearances in the competition.  

Their last showing was in 2021 when they reached the Last 16 before losing to mighty Mamelodi Sundowns 4-0.
One noticeable attribute this year has been their home form, where they have beaten all-comers to Polokwane. This will be a hugely difficult away day for Chippa.