Retired midfielder Lefa Tsutsulupa believes that his former club Bloemfontein Celtic are going into their second domestic cup final in three months a much wiser team.
In September, the Free State-based suffered a painful 1-0 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup final.
Tsutsulupa, who played for them for five seasons between 1999 and 2003, argued that they were not ready for the big stage then.
Tsutsulupa was coached by the late Styles Phumo and Serame Letsoaka during his time in the City of Roses. He said stage fright got the better of them against the experienced Tshwane giants.
Siwelele are going into their MTN8 Cup final against Orlando Pirates at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban as the underdogs. "Celtic will win the cup final. They have to because they need the financial injection that comes with the R8-million winner's prize money.
"Finances are not being okay, and the money should help them stabilise the team," said a confident Tsutsulupa.
When the Ndumiso Mabena-captained side lost to the Brazilians in the Ke Yona cup final, he said it was not their time and that they battled because of expectations.
"They were nervous and could not handle the big stage, but they are wiser and ready to do battle this time. I watched their final against Sundowns and noticed that they did not play their usual football and were not free at all in that match," explained Tsutsulupa.
But he says that a lot has changed since they lost the final against the 10-time league champions. "Things are starting to go well for Celtic. I don't see them losing this game. It is their time, and the players are maturing with each game."
Tsutsulupa is the ambassador of MTN alongside football legends such as Daine Klate, Joseph Makhanya, Katlego Mphela and Thabo September.
Tsutsulupa won the same competition with Moroka Swallows in 2012. He captained the Birds when they defeated SuperSport United 2-1 at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
"We won the Top8 a year after we finished second behind Pirates in the league. The feeling of winning that cup was great. We were hungry and worked hard to win it. I think that it will boost Celtic's confidence in the league if they go on to win it," Tsutsulupa said.
The R8m prize money will be a huge financial boost
Time for Celtic to overcome stage fright – Tsutsulupa
Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
Retired midfielder Lefa Tsutsulupa believes that his former club Bloemfontein Celtic are going into their second domestic cup final in three months a much wiser team.
In September, the Free State-based suffered a painful 1-0 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup final.
Tsutsulupa, who played for them for five seasons between 1999 and 2003, argued that they were not ready for the big stage then.
Tsutsulupa was coached by the late Styles Phumo and Serame Letsoaka during his time in the City of Roses. He said stage fright got the better of them against the experienced Tshwane giants.
Siwelele are going into their MTN8 Cup final against Orlando Pirates at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban as the underdogs. "Celtic will win the cup final. They have to because they need the financial injection that comes with the R8-million winner's prize money.
"Finances are not being okay, and the money should help them stabilise the team," said a confident Tsutsulupa.
When the Ndumiso Mabena-captained side lost to the Brazilians in the Ke Yona cup final, he said it was not their time and that they battled because of expectations.
"They were nervous and could not handle the big stage, but they are wiser and ready to do battle this time. I watched their final against Sundowns and noticed that they did not play their usual football and were not free at all in that match," explained Tsutsulupa.
But he says that a lot has changed since they lost the final against the 10-time league champions. "Things are starting to go well for Celtic. I don't see them losing this game. It is their time, and the players are maturing with each game."
Tsutsulupa is the ambassador of MTN alongside football legends such as Daine Klate, Joseph Makhanya, Katlego Mphela and Thabo September.
Tsutsulupa won the same competition with Moroka Swallows in 2012. He captained the Birds when they defeated SuperSport United 2-1 at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
"We won the Top8 a year after we finished second behind Pirates in the league. The feeling of winning that cup was great. We were hungry and worked hard to win it. I think that it will boost Celtic's confidence in the league if they go on to win it," Tsutsulupa said.
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