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Cape Town - Cape Town City (CTC) and Free State Stars will battle for a place in the final of the Telkom Knockout when they meet in the first semi-final, set for Athlone Stadium on Saturday.
CTC earned their place in the last four of the TKO with 2-0 and 4-3 wins (both after extra time) over Bloemfontein Celtic and Baroka FC in the last 16 and quarter-finals respectively.
The Cape side’s debut in the Telkom Knockout has been exceptional thus far and coach Eric Tinkler will view this competition as a chance for the club’s first piece of silverware.
As for Stars, they have shrugged off a poor start to their league campaign to progress into the semis seemingly against all odds.
The Free State side eliminated two of the tournament favourites in Bidvest Wits (3-0 in the last 16) and Kaizer Chiefs (6-5 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the quarter-finals) to reach this stage of the competition.
Ea Lla Koto have one League Cup title to their name, claiming the Coca-Cola Cup in 1994 when they were still known as QwaQwa Stars, and this year’s showing has given them hope that a second could be on its way.
A place in the final against more regular cup winners SuperSport United or Orlando Pirates is the reward for whichever team manages to come out on top.
It will also set the tone for the teams’ rivalry going forward, with this match set to be their first competitive meeting.
City come into the match in great form, with six successive wins across all competitions under their belt. The Cape side’s latest triumph was a 3-2 victory against Maritzburg United in midweek which put them top of the league temporarily.
As for Stars, they suffered a second successive league loss and saw their winless streak in the top flight extended to double figures when they were beaten 1-0 at Polokwane City on Wednesday night.
Kick-off is at 15h00.
