Carling All-Stars ready for in-form Stellies
The fierce rivalry between Pirates coach José Luis Riveiro and Stellenbosch FC’s Steve Barker will reach a fever pitch this coming Saturday at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Despite Itumeleng Khune’s recent performance at Naturena Village during a Kaizer Chiefs training session, he still emerged as the third most popular Carling Black Label Cup player behind Kermit Erasmus and Ashley Du Preez.
The player with the most votes was Orlando Pirates’ Erasmus who garnered 39 691 followed by Khune’s teammate and striker Du Preez who came in at 38 766 while Khune was at 37 297 votes.
Despite the new format of the cup, which entailed selecting the best players from the 15 teams of the Premier Division, supporters of AmaKhosi Amahle and the Buccaneers still turned showdown into an all Chiefs and Pirates players, except for three players from the eThekwini side AmaZulu FC.
The three Usuthu players, as AmaZulu are fondly known by their avid followers, are the reserve league Diski Challenge’s Siphamandla Zikhali and Masibonge Ngidi, and the senior side’s Ramahlwe Mphahlele.
Though this was against the grain and spirit of the cup, there is very little that can be done except to acknowledge that the fans have spoken and assembled what they believe are the best players to deliver the goods come January 6 at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium.
The bulk of the players in the starting line-up come from Chiefs and Pirates with four apiece and then the three from AmaZulu, turning superstar rivals into teammates that will have a formidable task of taking on high-riding giant killers Stellenbosch FC which has twice claimed the scalp of the Buccaneers in the league and cup game.
Chiefs’ Khune, Du Preez, Edson Daniel Castillo Garcia and Mfundo Vilakazi will line up in the same Carling All-Stars team as Bucs’ Erasmus, Olisa Ndah, Jabulani Mokone and Kagiso Mnguni and the AmaZulu trio of Zikhali, Ngidi and Mphahlele.
The All-Stars attack will be led by Erasmus and Du Preez while the midfield will be the domain of AmaKhosi’s Castilo and the highly rated Vilakazi and the Bucs’ Mnguni, alongside the Usuthu’s Zikhali.
The Buccaneers’ Ndah and Usuthu’s Mphahlele will form the two centre-backs and the fullbacks will comprise Usuthu’s Ngidi and AmaKhosi’s Mokone and AmaKhosi’s Khune will be between the sticks, making it Khune’s 10th Carling Black Label Cup edition.
The All-Stars side will be coached by Pirates’ José Luis Riveiro, thereby renewing a fierce battle with his Stellies counterpart Steve Barker. Riveiro’s two assistants will come from the Diski Challenge champions and runners-up from the previous season.
