Bloemfontein Celtic are happy to go into the MTN8 Cup final against Orlando Pirates as the underdogs. Coach John Maduka and captain Ndumiso Mabena are of the view that Orlando Pirates are the favourites.
The Free State-based side will take on Pirates in the final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday (6pm). The pair said they had nothing to lose and everything to gain going into the first domestic cup final of the season.
They said they would go all out from the onset and try their luck in the winner-takes-all grand finale in KwaZulu-Natal. It is Celtic's second cup final in three months, and they are determined to win the R8m winner's purse at the expense of the Soweto giants. They blamed stage fright for the Nedbank Cup final defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in September.
"We are going into the cup final as underdogs. The pressure is on Pirates to win the cup final, not us. People expect them to lift the trophy. We have nothing to lose and have prepared well for the big game," Maduka said.
The wait for the final is killing the Zimbabwean-born mentor. "Nobody remembers who finished second. We want to win the final. We believe that we can take on anybody and win. The boys were scared in the first final and were not free to express themselves. But it will be a different ball game against Pirates. We are prepared and cannot wait to play the match," added Maduka.
Mabena said he would like to help the Bloemfontein outfit to make history by winning the cup final. "We will go all out. We want to make history to win the final for Celtic. We will do our best to bring the trophy to Bloemfontein," said Mabena.
Mabena is a different player and carries the hopes of Celtic on his shoulders. All eyes will be on him to see if he can lead them to cup final triumph. The 1-0 defeat in the Nedbank Cup final to Sundowns is still fresh in the memory, but he says it has taught them to fight hard and do their best.
"It is a new season, and we expect to finish the game with celebrations and not tears again. We believe that we can pull off an upset," added Mabena.
Captain Mabena believes they can pull off an upset
Celtic geared up to take game to Pirates in Cup final
Image: Frikkie Kapp / Backpagepix/ Gallo Images
Bloemfontein Celtic are happy to go into the MTN8 Cup final against Orlando Pirates as the underdogs. Coach John Maduka and captain Ndumiso Mabena are of the view that Orlando Pirates are the favourites.
The Free State-based side will take on Pirates in the final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday (6pm). The pair said they had nothing to lose and everything to gain going into the first domestic cup final of the season.
They said they would go all out from the onset and try their luck in the winner-takes-all grand finale in KwaZulu-Natal. It is Celtic's second cup final in three months, and they are determined to win the R8m winner's purse at the expense of the Soweto giants. They blamed stage fright for the Nedbank Cup final defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in September.
"We are going into the cup final as underdogs. The pressure is on Pirates to win the cup final, not us. People expect them to lift the trophy. We have nothing to lose and have prepared well for the big game," Maduka said.
The wait for the final is killing the Zimbabwean-born mentor. "Nobody remembers who finished second. We want to win the final. We believe that we can take on anybody and win. The boys were scared in the first final and were not free to express themselves. But it will be a different ball game against Pirates. We are prepared and cannot wait to play the match," added Maduka.
Mabena said he would like to help the Bloemfontein outfit to make history by winning the cup final. "We will go all out. We want to make history to win the final for Celtic. We will do our best to bring the trophy to Bloemfontein," said Mabena.
Mabena is a different player and carries the hopes of Celtic on his shoulders. All eyes will be on him to see if he can lead them to cup final triumph. The 1-0 defeat in the Nedbank Cup final to Sundowns is still fresh in the memory, but he says it has taught them to fight hard and do their best.
"It is a new season, and we expect to finish the game with celebrations and not tears again. We believe that we can pull off an upset," added Mabena.
Pirates need to find scoring boots to win MTN8 final
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Related articles
Latest Videos