Top-class ties at Oshakati

FOOTBALL lovers at Oshakati will have a feast of football at their doorstep when the MTC Cup quarter-final matches will be the key attraction in that part of the country this weekend.

Not only will football be a welcome addition to the town’s Oshakati Independence Stadium, but the teams that are involved and will be fighting to go through to the semi-finals will make it even more exciting. All the four matches are expected to be mouth-watering and the football-hungry fans at the northern town should brace themselves for a celebration of goals from some of these fine teams.The biggest clashes are scheduled for Sunday, when Orlando Pirates take on Civics, while Ramblers have to prove Chief Santos wrong in the second quarter-final of the day.The encounters on Saturday can also be equally entertaining, with SKW taking their chance against Eleven Arrows, while hosts Oshakati City will meet coastal giants Blue Waters.On form, Civics will be in a position to upset Orlando Pirates, but the ‘Buccaneers’ cannot be taken lightly despite their poor run in the league.Civics are destined for a second successive league title, but their chances can be brought to a halt by the rampaging Ramblers side, which has been playing a fabulous blend of football of late.In fact, Ramblers stand a chance to go past Santos judging by their recent record and them being in second position on the log, compared to Santos who sit in the second-last position.This weekend, league positions and points gained will not be the issue, but the performance on the day and the chances to lay hands on the prestigious trophy that carries a fat cheque for the winners will be the issue.Arrows will however want to build on their recent two-match winning streak in the league, while Oshakati City enjoy the home-crowd advantage.SKW in fact played in their first semi-final since entering top-flight football during the FNB Cup, but did not make it to the final.Oshakati City will prove tricky for Blue Waters as they can win a match on any given day.Blue Waters have already won the competition once, in 2003.The major cup competition wins for Civics were the NFA Cup in 2003 and the Swabou Charity Cup in the same year.The MTC Cup is one of the trophies missing from their cabinets.Ramblers won the NFA Cup in 2005, but winning the MTC Cup will be even more awesome, as it carries the biggest prize tag of all football competitions in the country.Santos have already won the MTC Cup in 2001, but have a great feat when it comes to the NFA Cup.They have won it four times.The winner of the tournament will receive a massive N$350 000, while the runner-up pockets N$130 000.The third and fourth semi-final losers will get N$60 000 each.* See fixtures elsewhere.All the four matches are expected to be mouth-watering and the football-hungry fans at the northern town should brace themselves for a celebration of goals from some of these fine teams.The biggest clashes are scheduled for Sunday, when Orlando Pirates take on Civics, while Ramblers have to prove Chief Santos wrong in the second quarter-final of the day.The encounters on Saturday can also be equally entertaining, with SKW taking their chance against Eleven Arrows, while hosts Oshakati City will meet coastal giants Blue Waters.On form, Civics will be in a position to upset Orlando Pirates, but the ‘Buccaneers’ cannot be taken lightly despite their poor run in the league.Civics are destined for a second successive league title, but their chances can be brought to a halt by the rampaging Ramblers side, which has been playing a fabulous blend of football of late.In fact, Ramblers stand a chance to go past Santos judging by their recent record and them being in second position on the log, compared to Santos who sit in the second-last position.This weekend, league positions and points gained will not be the issue, but the performance on the day and the chances to lay hands on the prestigious trophy that carries a fat cheque for the winners will be the issue.Arrows will however want to build on their recent two-match winning streak in the league, while Oshakati City enjoy the home-crowd advantage.SKW in fact played in their first semi-final since entering top-flight football during the FNB Cup, but did not make it to the final.Oshakati City will prove tricky for Blue Waters as they can win a match on any given day.Blue Waters have already won the competition once, in 2003.The major cup competition wins for Civics were the NFA Cup in 2003 and the Swabou Charity Cup in the same year.The MTC Cup is one of the trophies missing from their cabinets.Ramblers won the NFA Cup in 2005, but winning the MTC Cup will be even more awesome, as it carries the biggest prize tag of all football competitions in the country.Santos have already won the MTC Cup in 2001, but have a great feat when it comes to the NFA Cup.They have won it four times.The winner of the tournament will receive a massive N$350 000, while the runner-up pockets N$130 000.The third and fourth semi-final losers will get N$60 000 each.* See fixtures elsewhere.