Confident Nelukau not worried about Gallants

Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) coach Lucky Nelukau has warned Marumo Gallants that they are capable of causing another upset against a Premiership team and progress to the Nedbank Cup final.

TTM will host Gallants in the semifinal at Thohoyandou Stadium tomorrow  at 7pm. What makes Nelukau confident of upsetting their Limpopo rivals is that they have already defeated Golden Arrows and SuperSport United in this competition.

“We are on our way to the final and I will remind you that I told you that we will beat this Marumo team,” Nelukau told the media. “When we played Golden Arrows [last 32], I told you the same thing that I’m going to beat them and we did exactly that. We played SuperSport United [quarterfinal] and I said the same thing that we are going to beat them and we did that.

“Now it is Gallants, I don’t have a problem with them and I’m not worried about facing them and don’t have any sleepless nights. We are going to beat them too. “I’m not worried. Gallants are worried about us, that’s why coach Dan Malesela came to watch our game [against Jomo Cosmos when they won 3-2 on Sunday in the GladAfrica Championship]. I don’t go and watch their games because I’m not worried about them.”

The coach also added that he knows most of the players at Gallants as he was there when they signed them while he was an assistant to Joel Masutha. “I’m aware of their playing style... as you know 95% of their players I know. I am the one who signed them when the team was still called TTM. The philosophy they are using is the same as mine, so that’s good for us.”

Nelukau feels that will be an added advantage for him to get a victory against Gallants and progress to the final. “We are ready for Marumo Gallants. The boys are hungry to win this Nedbank [Cup] and the players at training were positive they want to bring this cup back home,” he said.