Milford FC chairman and coach Xanti Pupuma is hoping his side’s previous experience in the Nedbank Cup will prove valuable when they take on Orlando Pirates in the Carling Knockout Cup.
The two teams are set to meet in the Round of 16 at Orlando Amstel Arena on Tuesday, 27 October, at 19:00.
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Pirates defeated the KwaZulu-Natal outfit 2-0 in the opening match of the Betway Premiership season in Gauteng.
However, Pupuma believes Milford has improved significantly since that encounter two months ago, with greater confidence and a better understanding of what it takes to compete at top-flight level.
“We kind of get used to it, hopefully we get to fix the mistakes we made against them, when we played our first game,” said Pupuma.
“One thing for sure, they will find us in a different space. We’re a little bit more confidence, we’re used to the system, we’re used to the league and the pace. Hopefully, we really go there and give them a game.”
Milford has established themselves as giantkillers over the past two seasons, enjoying impressive runs in the Nedbank Cup while competing in the second tier.
Pupuma is hoping his side can replicate that form and produce another memorable cup run.
“I’m hoping that the experience that we gained from the Nedbank in the previous seasons will help us progress in this cup,” he added.
“Cup games are different from the league, you only have one chance, and they tend to be open. Hopefully, we can use the experience we gained last season when we went all the way to the semifinals in the Nedbank Cup.”