Santos' chance to bury Bethlehem ghosts

It's back to the scene of a humiliating 4-1 defeat for Santos following Monday's Nedback Cup quarterfinal draw in Johannesburg.

They were pitted against Free State Stars in a tie club operations manager Edries Burton said would be as testing as the league defeat at the turn of the year.

"The scoreline was not a true reflection of that match," said the former defender. "I recall vividly that two of their goals should not have stood, and we also missed a number of scoring chances.

"Having said that, though, Stars will be a tough test, so winning a cup tie in their backyard would give us the confidence to go all the way in this competition."

The February 13 hammering by Stars at Goble Park in Bethlehem was coach David Bright's first match in charge of Santos, who have since knocked over all-comers during a nine-match unbeaten run.

Bright seems to have no doubts about the destiny of the first prize of R6-million. He has dreams of a cup final date with Sundowns, who will next face the relatively inexperienced FC Cape Town at the compact Blue Downs Stadium.

However, in football parlance, David has claimed many a triumph over Goliath in cup matches, so Sundowns would be well advised to not underestimate the home team.

"It's a dream tie and a massive occasion for us," said FC Cape Town coach Johnny Ferreira, who seems to have finally found the right recipe in defence as well as in his playmaking department.

His charges have not lost or conceded any goals in their past three fixtures, the latest having been the weekend's 2-0 success away to Durban Stars.

"We would have won promotion to the Premiership had the boys performed like this throughout the season," explained Ferreira. "Everyone is suddenly so fired up and playing perfectly to the game plan, which augurs well for the Sundowns match."

The clash does not hold any fears for the FC Cape Town coach, who argues that while the Brazilians boast a galaxy of individual stars, they have often failed to impress as a collective this season.

"I have studied their strengths and weaknesses, and they don't always get it together as a unit. Who knows, we may just catch them on one of those off days and then we must be ready to take full advantage."

In the remaining ties, Black Leopards will face AmaZulu and First Division hopefuls Black Aces and Nathi Lions will lock horns for a berth in the last four.

The dates for the quarterfinals will be announced later this week.