Platinum Stars face Als Puk Tawana in Nedbank Cup
Past results favour Dinaledi
Posted: 2010-04-13 15:26
Platinum Stars have played their opening Nedbank Cup opponents Als Puk Tawana twice in friendly matches and beaten them 8-0 and 6-0, but are still taking tomorrow's game very seriously.
"What happens on the training field and in match situations is very different," says Dinaledi team manager Obed Legobate.
This North West Derby in the Last 32 of the 2009/10 Nedbank Cup at Olen Park in Potchefstroom kicks off at 19h30.
The venue has been changed because of the re-seeding of Dinaledi's regular home venues, the Royal Bafokeng Stadium and Moruleng Stadium.
For Stars the Nedbank Cup represents a chance to salvage something from what has been a poor season by their standards.
Big things were expected of Dinaledi after they captured the signature of coach Steve Komphela and had some impressive showings in pre-season, but they ended up finishing 14th in the PSL – just five points above the relegation zone – and were dumped out of the Telkom Knockout Cup in the first round against Golden Arrows last month.
Stars will be missing four players for the Derby match: midfielders Stanley Kgatla (ankle) and Dillon Sheppard (groin) are injured, key defender Mbulelo Mabizela has only just returned from a spell on the sidelines and will reportedly not be match fit in time, while utility player Almiro Lobo is suspended after the red card he received in the 2-1 defeat against Arrows in the Telkom Knockout.
Als Puk Tawana recently formed a partnership with Mamelodi Sundowns' development side and they are said to have several highly talented players who will all be itching to make a name for themselves by dumping a top flight side out of the Nedbank Cup.
The club was formed in 2003 when Pukke, the North West University (Potchefstroom campus) bought Tawana FC, a club from Ikageng.
They come into the competition on the back of a disappointing showing in the North West region of the Vodacom League, only managing to finish seventh in the 16-team League.
However, they are likely to be well prepared for their game with local rivals Dinaledi, having watched Stars in a recent friendly game against Bloemfontein Celtic, while also being able to call on the tactical knowledge of Sundowns development heads Ted Dumitru and Zipho Dlangalala.
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