Teams gunning for Cup glory

ALL semi-finalists who are gunning for the coveted FNB Cup tonight, have expressed great interest in laying their hands on the trophy in what should be nail-biting football matches in the capital.The boys will be separated from the men when the first semi-final will be decided between African Stars and SKW at the Sam Nujoma Stadium tonight.

Kick-off is at 19h00, and the gates will open at 17h00. The second semi-final is a thriller which is to unfold between league title holders Civics and coastal giants Blue Waters at 21h00.All four teams are desperate to land the N$160 000 for the winning side, instead of settling for the N$20 000 which will be dished to the two semi-final losers.African Stars coach Manase Katjivena was more vocal on the chances of his team, saying that their mission was to take the cup.”Our mission is to end in the final and win it.We are well prepared and have no injuries.The players are looking forward to this competition.”Stars had a long dry spell in cup competitions and have failed to capture any in the past eight years, let alone the league title.Katjivena, whose strikers have not been as sharp as they only scored six goals in the league from their seven matches, said this time they will have their scoring boots on.Despite that, the men to look out for are strikers Pat Uanivi and Freedom Puriza.The two can be dangerous and the SKW defence will be tested to the ultimate tonight.SKW coach Richard Starke said although Stars had hard-running players, his side will be ready to contain them.”Although my players a bit exhausted from back-to-back matches this season, they are highly motivated and are also looking ahead to give the opposition a tough time,” he said.SKW will miss its central midfielder Ralph Ellinger, who recently went for a knee operation, while Marco van Wyk was ill and did not practice with the team.Starke said: “We will however try our best because we know it will be a tough game.”SKW, which lies second from the bottom in the premier league, has never played in a semi-final match of the FNB Cup before.They were promoted this season.The rookies have, like Stars, only scored six goals in the league in total, while they have conceded 16, compared to Stars which only let five past their goalkeepers.The target for Stars will be to look out for the towering figure of striker Arent von Stryk, who is a clever goal-getter.Civics team manager Paul Stramis had bad news, announcing that two key players, midfielders Rudi Louw and Heinrich Isaacs, are in doubt to play against Blue Waters.Louw suffered a knock to his ribs at training and was still under examination late yesterday, while Isaacs twisted his ankle during practice.Despite that, Stramis said competition for places at Civics is always tough and the two can be replaced by other competent players.Players such as midfield trick-master Patrick Jagger already boost the side, while Tugela Tuyeni, who formerly played for Blue Waters, can be employed anywhere in midfield.The likeable Zambian-born William Chilufya will be a sure inclusion in the first eleven upfront and is likely to go along Wilfred Mazembe, who originates from Zimbabwe.Stramis said the back is solid with captain Mentos Hipondoka who has now matured into a stable player, while the assistance from Marc Isaacs and Dixon Witbeen will be invaluable.”We are very confident that we will reach the final, but at the same time, we are careful not to be complacent as Blue Waters are no push-overs and have a very good coach,” he said.Meanwhile, Blue Waters coach Shepherd Murape has complained about the time of their match, saying that it did not suit his team as they will be travelling today.”This is unfair.What if we have a breakdown or something and we get delayed,” he asked.On his chances, Murape said he will not settle for a loss against Civics.”We have worked hard for this game and we don’t see ourselves coming back to Walvis Bay without that cup.We need to win the cup and we need to beat Civics to get it,” he said.The competition will be spiced up with the presence of former Bafana Bafana defensive great, Lucas ‘Rhuu’ Radebe who is expected to arrive here today.Radebe will sign autographs and will take youngsters through their paces at a coaching clinic tomorrow, while he is also expected to give tips to players and coaches.FNB has invited Radebe and has forked out a total of N$500 000 for the tournament.The final is scheduled for 17h00 tomorrow, but before that, a veteran team from Black Africa will take on their counterparts from Orlando Pirates at 15h00.Entrance fees are N$10 for adults and N$5 for children.The second semi-final is a thriller which is to unfold between league title holders Civics and coastal giants Blue Waters at 21h00.All four teams are desperate to land the N$160 000 for the winning side, instead of settling for the N$20 000 which will be dished to the two semi-final losers.African Stars coach Manase Katjivena was more vocal on the chances of his team, saying that their mission was to take the cup.”Our mission is to end in the final and win it.We are well prepared and have no injuries.The players are looking forward to this competition.”Stars had a long dry spell in cup competitions and have failed to capture any in the past eight years, let alone the league title.Katjivena, whose strikers have not been as sharp as they only scored six goals in the league from their seven matches, said this time they will have their scoring boots on.Despite that, the men to look out for are strikers Pat Uanivi and Freedom Puriza.The two can be dangerous and the SKW defence will be tested to the ultimate tonight.SKW coach Richard Starke said although Stars had hard-running players, his side will be ready to contain them.”Although my players a bit exhausted from back-to-back matches this season, they are highly motivated and are also looking ahead to give the opposition a tough time,” he said.SKW will miss its central midfielder Ralph Ellinger, who recently went for a knee operation, while Marco van Wyk was ill and did not practice with the team.Starke said: “We will however try our best because we know it will be a tough game.”SKW, which lies second from the bottom in the premier league, has never played in a semi-final match of the FNB Cup before.They were promoted this season.The rookies have, like Stars, only scored six goals in the league in total, while they have conceded 16, compared to Stars which only let five past their goalkeepers.The target for Stars will be to look out for the towering figure of striker Arent von Stryk, who is a clever goal-getter.Civics team manager Paul Stramis had bad news, announcing that two key players, midfielders Rudi Louw and Heinrich Isaacs, are in doubt to play against Blue Waters.Louw suffered a knock to his ribs at training and was still under examination late yesterday, while Isaacs twisted his ankle during practice.Despite that, Stramis said competition for places at Civics is always tough and the two can be replaced by other competent players.Players such as midfield trick-master Patrick Jagger already boost the side, while Tugela Tuyeni, who formerly played for Blue Waters, can be employed anywhere in midfield.The likeable Zambian-born William Chilufya will be a sure inclusion in the first eleven upfront and is likely to go along Wilfred Mazembe, who originates from Zimbabwe.Stramis said the back is solid with captain Mentos Hipondoka who has now matured into a stable player, while the assistance from Marc Isaacs and Dixon Witbeen will be invaluable.”We are very confident that we will reach the final, but at the same time, we are careful not to be complacent as Blue Waters are no push-overs and have a very good coach,” he said.Meanwhile, Blue Waters coach Shepherd Murape has complained about the time of their match, saying that it did not suit his team as they will be travelling today.”This is unfair.What if we have a breakdown or something and we get delayed,” he asked.On his chances, Murape said he will not settle for a loss against Civics.”We have worked hard for this game and we don’t see ourselves coming
back to Walvis Bay without that cup.We need to win the cup and we need to beat Civics to get it,” he said.The competition will be spiced up with the presence of former Bafana Bafana defensive great, Lucas ‘Rhuu’ Radebe who is expected to arrive here today.Radebe will sign autographs and will take youngsters through their paces at a coaching clinic tomorrow, while he is also expected to give tips to players and coaches.FNB has invited Radebe and has forked out a total of N$500 000 for the tournament.The final is scheduled for 17h00 tomorrow, but before that, a veteran team from Black Africa will take on their counterparts from Orlando Pirates at 15h00.Entrance fees are N$10 for adults and N$5 for children.