Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns failed to feature in the Nedbank Cup quarter-final draw last night, and it seems that it came as a relief for the eight teams that were in the hat for the next round of the competition.
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Bidvest Wits' Ricardo Goss, who was the hero as they beat Black Leopards on penalties in the last round, says that all of the players present were glad that two of South Africa's 'Big Three' weren't in the draw as they go for Nedbank glory, though insisted that they aren't really bothered about who they play.
Gavin Hunt's side was eventually drawn against Chippa United, while two of the favourites for the cup – Kaizer Chiefs and Cape Town City – were pitted against each other as they look to progress into the final four.
Goss, 24, spoke to the media after they were paired up with the Chilli Boys, and said that all of the players were thinking the same thing as they waited to find out their opponents.
He said, "As we were all standing there I think we were all relieved that there's no Sundowns or Pirates… And Cape Town City got Chiefs, so that's another plus for us. We're kind of happy. Regardless of that though, even if we had faced a Chiefs or a Pirates we'd still have given our best shot."
Meanwhile, on the topic of tomorrow's top-of-the-table clash with Masandawana in the Absa Premiership, the shot-stopper added, "The guys are ready for it, you can see the mood in training. Everyone is positive and motivating each other. Going to Saturday's game I think (we'll) just give it our best shot and hopefully, we come out with a win.
"We've said to ourselves that we have 13 games left. The quarter-final, semi-final and the final as well as our 10 league games, and we're going to try and win all 13 of them. We just want to win every game, regardless of who we play against."
Wits can go five points clear with a win over their title rivals, however, a defeat would see them slip to second place behind Pitso Mosimane's challengers.