Teams from the lower divisions showed Lamontville Golden Arrows flames in the past thus Abafana Bes’thende coach Mandla Ncikazi is happy to play against AmaZulu in a Nedbank Cup last-32 match.
Ncikazi will come face to face with Usuthu coach Benni McCarthy when their teams clash at the Sugar Xulu Stadium in Clermont on Saturday (17h00).
Arrows were bundled out of this competition by the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) last season. They have in the past been knocked out by Baroka FC and TS Galaxy, who were playing in lower leagues at the time.
“I prefer it this way than getting so-called small teams. We have a situation where we will play against a team we know maybe our performance will be in that level,” Ncikazi said.
“Benni is doing amazing work at AmaZulu. They scored four goals in the previous match. They are fluent in their play and we should be aware that they have a capacity to score.
“It’s always not easy to play a derby. We would like to perform at our best and I hope our nerves will be ok.”
Arrows beat Usuthu 2-0 the last time the two sides met in a Durban derby.
