Supersport United vs Bloemfontein Celtic: MTN 8 semifinal preview

The MTN 8 takes centre stage once again on Sunday with the first leg of the second semifinal between Supersport United and Bloemfontein Celtic at Lucas Moripe Stadium.

The hosts are the reigning champions in the competition and are in pursuit of their fourth title – their third in the last five years.

They come up against a side that has only been victorious once in the tournament, back in its previous incarnation as the SAA Supa 8 in 2005.

Supersport United vs Bloemfontein Celtic: MTN 8 preview 

Celtic are, however, no stranger to making it past this stage of the competition, having made the Nedbank Cup final in August.

Currently at the helm at Phunya Sele Sele is John Maduka, a man who has lifted the trophy as a player.

After a bright start to the season, Celtic suffered defeat against Moroka Swallows midweek, and the former Malawian international will want see an improved performance from his side on Sunday.

“We have to sharpen in the final third, whereby we must be more hungry to score, because you can defend and defend, but at the end of the day if you don’t score the pressure goes back to the defence. This will help us moving forward,” Maduka said following the 1-0 loss at Dobsonville Stadium.

John Maduka

Head-to-head results

Celtic have been the more dominant side in cup encounters between these two sides, progressing to the next round on all four occasions.

In these matches, they have scored one win in regulation time, while the other three clashes were decided on penalties.

Their last cup encounter was in the 2018 Nedbank Cup, which ended 1-1 after 120 minutes, before the Free State outfit won the shoot-out.

Kick-off time and TV stream

The match kicks off at 15:00 and will be broadcast on Supersport and SABC.