Mamelodi Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners has shared his thoughts on what to expect from Golden Arrows under the leadership of newly appointed head coach Mandla Ncikazi.
Bafana Ba Style are set to lock horns with Abafana Bes’thende in the Carling Knockout Cup quarter-final tie on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium. Kick-off is scheduled for 19:00.
Ncikazi recently returned to the Durban-based outfit on Thursday, 22 October 2026, replacing Pitso Dladla at the helm. The 57-year-old mentor rejoined Arrows following his departure from Orlando Pirates, ending a five-year spell [2021 to October 2026] as part of the Buccaneers’ technical setup, where he served as an assistant coach and co-coach.
Ahead of the cup encounter in Pretoria, Rayners has cautioned his teammates against taking the KZN side lightly, acknowledging that teams consistently elevate their performance levels when facing a team of Sundowns’ calibre.
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Speaking to the Sundowns media department, the Bafana Bafana forward lauded Ncikazi’s coaching pedigree while emphasising the mindset required to secure a semi-final berth.
“I think the coach of Golden Arrows is a good coach, especially when teams play against Sundowns; they up their game,” Rayners said. “For us as a team, we just need to do our job, be confident with the ball, and work as hard as possible to win the game and achieve positive results.
“A knockout game is always difficult to play because you don’t know what to expect from other teams. But as a team, we know how to win games like this, especially when it becomes difficult. We will have people who will analyse our game and give us feedback and information about Golden Arrows’ performance from their last game. I hope we can reach the semi-finals.”
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The 30-year-old experienced frontman highlighted early execution as the key to breaking down Ncikazi’s side and taking control of the encounter.
“For us as a team, we always have a lot of opportunities against them, but we just have to make sure we punish them as early as possible,” he added.
“Once we score first, we know the game will open up, and we will win, because that’s the most important thing.”
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