Durban City FC have been drawn at home to face Stellenbosch FC in the Round of 16 of the Carling Knockout Cup. The draw, conducted on Wednesday evening in Johannesburg, pits the 11th-placed Premier Soccer League side against the 2023 champions of this competition.
Gavin Hunt, the Stellenbosch manager, will make a return to a club he previously coached. He acknowledged the challenge of the one-off cup tie. "There’s always been a real unpredictability about this Cup, and if you don’t treat it with the respect it deserves, you’ll come off second best," Hunt said. He added, "It’s an away game, but we are used to playing away from home, and it’s at a nice stadium, so I’m sure it will be a good game."
Cup context and recent form
The match offers Durban City a chance to shift focus from their league campaign, where they have taken seven points from eight games. They head into the cup fixture on the back of a 2-1 home defeat to AmaZulu last weekend, a result that left them 16 points adrift of leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
Stellenbosch have recent pedigree in this tournament, having won the inaugural edition in 2023. However, they were eliminated at the quarter-final stage in the last two seasons, both times by Marumo Gallants. The exact date and kick-off time for the Durban City clash will be confirmed by the league in the coming days.
The wider draw
Other notable ties from the draw see defending champions Orlando Pirates at home to Milford FC, while Mamelodi Sundowns host Marumo Gallants and Kaizer Chiefs welcome TS Galaxy. The top eight teams from last season were seeded in Pot One, ensuring the PSL's traditional 'big three' all avoided each other and secured home draws for this round.
For Durban City, the match represents an immediate opportunity to bounce back from their recent defeat. The team last faced Stellenbosch in a league match on 1 September, playing out a goalless draw.
Background and full detail: stellenboschfc.com
