Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila midfielder Thabo Rakhale described their Nedbank Cup second round meeting with provincial rivals Black Leopards as a do-or-die affair.

The Premiership strugglers will renew their rivalry in the Limpopo derby at the Thohoyandou Stadium in Venda on Sunday at 6pm. The winner of the derby will not only walk away with bragging rights, but also a place in the cup semifinal.

The two teams lost their league games in midweek and will be hoping to use the cup competition to bounce back to winning ways. Leopards lost 3-1 to TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium while TTM suffered a 2-1 defeat against Golden Arrows at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Wednesday.

Rakhale told Sowetan that the winning team that would emerge from the battle of the relegation-haunted teams would have the upper hand going back into their league campaign. 

Wednesday's defeat was TTM's first since Abram Sello bought the club from Masala Mulaudzi in January.

The 25-year-old midfielder feels the loss is not a train smash.

“It was one of those bad results as we did not deserve to lose the game. We did not play badly and were unlucky to concede a late penalty. However, the focus has now shifted to the derby. It's going to be a do or die," said Rakhale.

He said that given their struggles in the league, the winner of the derby would go on to win the cup. “Looking at our current log positions, both teams need something that would cheer them up and the cup game offers that remedy. We want to win the cup for our chairman and forget about our league situation temporarily," said Rakhale.

Quarterfinal fixtures

Tomorrow: Chippa v Richards Bay, Sisa Dukashe Stadium (3.30pm)

Sunday: Cape Town Spurs v Callies, Danie Craven Stadium (3pm); Leopards’ v TTM, Thohoyandou Stadium (6pm).