Celtic ready for Mbombela challenge

Cape Town - Bloemfontein Celtic will be wary of the threat posed by Mbombela United when the teams meet in the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup on Saturday.

The match is scheduled for the Dr Molemela Stadium, kick off is at 15:00.

Celtic claimed their place in the second round of the competition thanks to a 2-0 away win over lower league side Buya Msuthu on March 11. The Bloemfontein side has won the Nedbank Cup once, defeating African Wanderers in the 1985 final. 

United beat another lower league side, Days FC, by five goals to two at the Griffons Rugby Stadium on March 12 to claim their place in the second round.

This is the Mpumalanga club’s second successive appearance in the last 16: in 2016 they reached this stage of the competition with a win over Sibanye Golden Stars before going down 3-1 at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns.

Phunya Sele Sele will do well not to underestimate Mbombela, who have not performed particularly strongly in the National First Division but would love to add to the Nedbank Cup’s legacy of yupset results down the years.

The winners will move into the quarterfinals of the competition, which are set to be played on the weekend of 21-23 April.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

N/A - This will be the first competitive meeting of Bloemfontein Celtic and Mbombela United.