The 16th edition of the Nedbank Cup is on the horizon as most PSL teams find themselves in a 'David vs Goliath' predicament, starting with Mamelodi Sundowns up against NB La Masia in the last 32 on Tuesday the 20th of February 2024.

Ahead of the encounter, Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has revealed that they have not taken the fixture against NB La Masia for granted because they know how difficult it can be to play against the lower division sides.

"We are looking forward to the match, it’s an interesting team that we will be playing against and well-coached too, Daine Klate and his technical team have done a good job to put the team together hence I believe reaching this stage of the competition means they have something we can be wary of, we know how difficult playing NFD teams can be and that’s why we have to work very hard to profile the team," Mokwena said.

Mokwena also revealed that there will likely be rotation of players in his team, however, admits that does not mean they are taking the fixture lightly.

"We have to try to put the best team on the pitch, and we will try to do that, there might be a couple of rotations, there were a lot of rotations in the previous game, too, so we will rotate and see what we can get out because you also have a very difficult programme coming up in the next couple of weeks just before the FIFA break," Mokwena added.

Meanwhile La Masia head coach Klate, has reiterated that its a 'David vs Goliath' type of an encounter and his charges will use the occasion to test themselves.

“It’s a big occasion, a good experience for La Masia, it’s a David and Goliath situation, for us it’s an honour to face Mamelodi Sundowns to see where we are as a team, it’s the perfect opportunity to test ourselves against one of the best in South Africa if not Africa’s best and I don’t think Sundowns can be weakened, they have a full squad that has the aspiration to win trophies on the world stage, win the Champions League and play in the FIFA Club World Cup.

"Our ambition is to get in the PSL, where Sundowns is currently, I don’t there’s a lack of hope, there should always be hope, we can’t go into a game and just roll over and say we are playing Sundowns and it’s my duty as a coach and technical team, myself and Moeneeb Josephs to encourage these boys and motivate them as much as they can to show heart and passion on Tuesday night," Klate added.

Elswhere, SuperSport United will take on Cape Town City while Highlands Park will entertain Sekhukhune United, both matches are scheduled to play on Tuesday night as well.