Friday’s Nedbank Cup quarter-final clash at the Lucas Moripe Stadium (7pm kick-off) is set against a backdrop of prolific scoring between Mamelodi Sundowns and Sekhukhune United in league matches this season.
Sundowns have showcased their attacking prowess with dominant 3-0 and 4-2 victories, racking up a staggering nine goals in two encounters.
With the prospect of a semi-final berth looming, another high-scoring game could propel this clash into the spotlight.
Historically, the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals have been low goal-scoring affairs, but recent trends suggest an upward trajectory.
This season alone, 82 goals have been scored across 26 ties, averaging an impressive 3.23 goals per game.
The prospect of a goal-fest will be music to the ears of Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile, who goes into Friday’s match two goals shy of equalling the Premier Soccer League’s record tally.
Siyabonga Nomvethe, who played for Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, holds the record for the most goals in the PSL with 129 in all top-flight matches since the launch of the league in 1996.
Miguel Cardoso, Sundowns’ Portuguese coach, again faces the challenge of fielding exhausted returning players from international duty.
The club had seven players with Bafana Bafana and two (Shalulile and Deon Hotto) with Namibia.
Fortunately, Namibia played on Monday afternoon in Polokwane, and Shalulile returned home the same evening.
The Bafana Bafana players travelled from Ivory Coast to Johannesburg on Wednesday, and reported for duty on Thursday.
Shalulile returned to club training on Tuesday already, and will be the first name on Cardoso’s team sheet for the Sekhukhune clash.
The next name will be controversial Bafana midfield general Teboho Mokoena, who did not play against Benin on Tuesday.
The Windhoek-born Shalulile has a good record against the Limpopo club, with four goals and an assist in six previous appearances.
His strike against AmaZulu earlier this month took his tally to 127, and a brace on Friday would put him level with former Bafana Bafana goal ace Nomvethe.
His tally is made up of 89 league and 38 cup goals.
Cup games are never easy and this #NedbankCup quarter-final will be no different.🏆
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Shalulile is the record-holder in the Nedbank Cup with 14 goals, three more than former teammate Hlompho Kekana.
He has a winners’ medal from the 2022 Nedbank Cup after he netted the opening goal in the 2-1 victory over Marumo Gallants. He also scored a hat-trick against Gallants a year later.
Cardoso will likely list the rest of the Bafana Bafana players on the substitutes’ list because they need recovery time.
Shalulile, Mokoena, Brazilian Lucas Ribeiro Costa and Chilean Marcelo Allende should form the backbone of the team to spearhead the club’s bid to advance to the semi-finals.
The match gives Cardoso a chance to feature the gangly striker Lebo Mothiba, who was signed a few weeks ago, but has yet to play for Sundowns.
The former Bafana Bafana marksman, who has played in France since the start of his senior career in 2015, has been in regular training under Cardoso, and should be ready to make his debut.
One step away from the #NedbankCup Last 4. Let’s keep pushing! 🔥
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) March 27, 2025
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Sundowns may be favourites heading into the clash, but Sekhukhune have proved that on their day they are a match for anyone.
And in new coach Eric Tinkler, they have a master tactician.
Tinkler has found the Nedbank Cup a tough competition down the years, and compared to the success he has enjoyed in other domestic knockout cups, it has been a hard road.
Tinkler took Orlando Pirates to the Nedbank Cup final in 2016, where they were edged 3-2 by SuperSport United, a team he would later go on to coach.
Before that, he guided Pirates to a quarter-final win over hosts Sundowns.
As a head coach, Tinkler has come up against Sundowns on 23 previous occasions at various clubs, winning four of those, to go with eight draws and 11 defeats.
He has twice lost to Sundowns in cup finals – the 2019 Telkom Knockout with Maritzburg United and the 2021 MTN8 with Cape Town City, the latter on penalties.