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‘This is a cup full of surprises’ – Maduka

Royal AM coach John Maduka would have been watching Friday night’s action from Thohoyandou to know that “this is a cup of surprises”. 

GladAfrica Championship side TTM came from 2-0 behind to beat SuperSport United 3-2 in extra time as they advanced to the semi-final of the Nedbank Cup.

Maduka’s Royal AM hosts another second-tier side University of Pretoria, in the same competition on Sunday at Chatsworth Stadium.

While he has made it clear he will rest some of his players to keep them fresh for the business end of the league, he is well aware that surprises do happen in cup games. 

“This is a cup of surprises, but we will rest the players as much as we can so they are ready for the next game. We’ll try to field the best team to give us good results. However, a few players are not available for selection,” Maduka told the media.

“We’re looking forward to the game, we know it’s not going to be an easy one, but we won’t take them lightly. They are second on NFD that tells you they are a good team; they managed to beat one PSL team to reach this stage.”

The 51-year-old warned his charges against taking their opponents lightly. He insists his players must have the right attitude if they want to progress to the semi-final.

“They are a good team with a good coach. It’s important to respect your opponents no matter whom you’re playing and where they play because if you don’t, they might shock you. This is a cup of surprises,” Maduka added.

“We want to go on to the semi-finals, therefore, we should have the right attitude and work hard.”

‘Thwihli Thwahla’ will be aiming to grab their first silverware in the topflight and the Nedbank Cup is the only realistic chance. Placed second on the PSL table, they will be first to admit that catching runaway log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns in the DStv Premiership with seven games left to wrap up the season will be almost impossible.

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