Leopards and Swallows in Nedbank semis

Lidoda Duvha have a difficult nut to crack in the semifinals of the prestigious Nedbank Cup. They will play against the mighty Moroka Swallows, away from home.

The Leopards' brand manager, Tshifhiwa Thidiela, said that they were not scared, even though they had drawn one of the teams of the moment in the competition. He stated that people should look at their track record in the competition if they want to know them better. He appealed to people not to forget the fact that their way to the semifinal stage went via Absa Premiership Soc-cer League sides.

They beat Amazulu 1-0 in their top 32 stage match at the Tshifulanani Stadium. Their last-16 match was against Bay United, whom they beat 6-5 on penalties at the Absa Stadium in East London. The local lads proved all the critics wrong when they crushed Platinum Stars 3-0 at the Tshifulanani Stadium last Sunday afternoon.

In the other semi-final match, Pretoria University will test their strength against Ajax Cape Town. According to the football general manager at the university, Kenneth "Brother" Neluvhalani, they are happy about the draw. He revealed that although their wish was to be matched against Moroka Swallows, they will still reach the final stage of the competition, despite all the odds.

Ajax Cape Town beat Winners Park 6-4 in their quarterfinal match at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane last weekend. Pretoria University, whose way to the semifinal was rocky and thorny, rose to the occasion and beat Bloemfontein Celtic 1-0 last weekend.

Although the matches will be played next weekend (April 25 and 26), the exact dates and times will be announced as soon as the competitions committee meets. The champions will become R6 million richer.