A lot will be at stake when giants Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns battle it out for a place in the semi-final of the Carling KnockOut at the FNB Stadium today (6pm kick-off).
Here we look at the top five players that could have the most impact in the fixture
Peter Shalulile hints at return to form
The lanky hitman is still finding his way back into his best form following a lean period, which has seen him struggle to find the net on a regular basis like he has in seasons gone by.
A buzzing Loftus Versfeld Stadium got to witness and relive the trademark Shalulile celebration as he helped himself to a brace in the midweek 3-0 rout of Cape Town City in their league encounter. That could be a timely confidence booster ahead of the match against Chiefs.
Ranga Chivaviro can carry the load
The bulky striker has had an up-and-down season, but he will go into the contest with good memories from the previous encounter after he opened the scoring in a league fixture that the home side went on to lose 2-1. Chivaviro has continued to find himself in goal-scoring positions despite some costly misses, and he carries a lot of danger for the visitors.
Cup competitions are generally about who performs best on the day, and indeed the sky will be the limit. This could be a chance endear himself the Amakhosi fans.
Gaston Sirino holds the ace
The former Sundowns playmaker didn’t stand out against his former employers in their league encounter, but he will get a second bite at the cherry this coming Saturday.
Sirino has so far injected positive energy into a lot of Chiefs attacks, and his importance in the upcoming fixture has been highlighted by coach Nasredine Nabi. Resting him in the midweek game against Magesi FC, which they ended up drawing 2-2 after falling 2-0 down in the 72nd minute of the match.
Mduduzi Shabalala is improving with every game
A sweetly-struck Edmore Chirambadare set piece pierced through a Chiefs wall in their midweek encounter against Magesi, forcing the Soweto giants to dig deep.
But two goals in two minutes from the young midfielder, Shabalala, not only saved Amakhosi’s blushes but also showed his all-round abilities in the attacking half, with both goals high in quality. Beside the two goals, the youngster also packs an accurate shot outside the box and has a tendency to keep defenders busy.
The quality of Lucas Ribeiro Costa.
Currently the leading goal scorer in the league with four goals and also a couple of assists, Costa has hit the ground running once again for the Brazilians.
His impact will no doubt leave Chiefs defenders working overtime.
His 31st-minute equalizer in the league game against Chiefs last month handed his side the advantage as they took charge of the match and ultimately won the contest.
