Mere excited by Chiefs test

Johannesburg - Platinum Stars captain Vuyo Mere said it was fitting that as champions they competed against the best team.

Dikwena were on Monday drawn to play Kaizer Chiefs in the Telkom Knockout quarter-final.

“Playing against a team that hasn’t lost this season won’t be easy... but we need to beat the best teams if we want to defend the title,” Mere said.

“It will be good to be the first one to beat them. I think we are capable. Last season we did it. We played all the big teams and beat them.”

The result from the clash between the two sides would either see Stars relinquish their reign as champions or Amakhosi’s unbeaten streak, in all competitions, come to an abrupt end.

Chiefs put their unbeaten run on the line against the champions, who aimed to retain their title after the surprise double last season, where they won both the Telkom Knockout and MTN8 title.

Amakhosi are yet to concede a goal in cup competitions this season and have beaten Dikwena three times -- once in the league and twice in the MTN8.

Mere has attributed the poor results against Chiefs to inexperience in the new-look Dikwena.

“We identified our mistakes after playing them. We are going to minimise our mistakes because this time we can’t afford silly errors.”

Orlando Pirates were drawn against former coach Roger de Sa at Ajax Cape Town.

Pirates defender Ayanda Gcaba said it would be interesting to have De Sa on the opponents' bench.

“I’m looking forward to facing our former coach who took us to the final of this competition last season,” Gcaba said.

“It won’t be easy because the coach knows us very well, but we will do our best against them and we are looking forward to a good match.”

Wits coach Gavin Hunt was also drawn against his former club, SuperSport United, who changed mentors weeks into the new campaign after firing Cavin Johnson and hiring Gordon Igesund.

A resurgent Mamelodi Sundowns are set to square off against AmaZulu who have only won one game since the commencement of the season.

The dates of the last eight clashes would be announced by the Premier Soccer League (PSL) at a later stage.