Larsen to field strong Chippa team

Although Chippa United coach Clinton Larsen has told his players to enjoy the occasion and that there is no pressure, he will still put out a strong side against Mamelodi Sundowns.

The teams will do battle in a Nedbank Cup last 32 fixture on Saturday, at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (3pm).

“It’s a nice game to be involved in. It’s not a league game and we all know where our priority is in getting out of this bottom three,” Larsen said.

“That is our key priority, but it does not mean that we don’t want to do well in the cup. So we are going to put out a very strong team to try and win the game.

“But all the pressure is on Sundowns. This a game that they are expected to win. They are the best team in the land, they have the best and most successful coach in the league.

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It’s a great game for us to be involved in. As a coach I love these types of challenges. I like putting myself up against the likes of Gavin Hunt and Pitso Mosimane.

“Here is another opportunity for us to have a go at a very talented and strong Sundowns team.

The Port Elizabeth based professional side are coming off a timely Absa Premiership bottom of the league victory over Martizburg United.

They beat the Team of Choice 2-0 at the weekend, but still remain second from the bottom of the log.

“I think, based on our last performance, we can take confidence out of that and really say to ourselves we can have a go at the Sundowns team.

“Hopefully we can through to the next round. For us we are going to put out a strong team and try to progress as far as we possibly can in this cup,” the coach said.

Last season, Chippa beat ABC Motsepe League outfit Phiva Young Stars 2-0 to proceed to the next stage of the competition.

However, the Chilli Boys' journey in the tournament was short-lived and they were booted out by Free State Stars after losing 2-1 in the last 16 stage.

The furthest the team has gone in the Nedbank Cup is reaching the semi-finals in 2017, a tie they lost 4-0 to SuperSport United.