AmaZulu coach McCarthy on facing Tinkler's City in cup clash: 'It's like the Euro final'

AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy has cast his eye on his side's tricky MTN8 quarterfinal clash against Cape Town City on Sunday and is bracing for a different team to the one his charges thrashed 5-1 in Cape Town in a league match in April.

McCarthy believes that a City side under his former Bafana Bafana teammate Eric Tinkler will be a different proposition and difficult to beat when they meet in the cup match at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Sunday evening.

McCarthy's cautionary approach is understandable as Tinkler joined City in May and was not on the bench when AmaZulu thrashed the Cape Town side in their own home ground in April.  

“For us, Sunday’s match is like the Euro final,” McCarthy said of meeting the team he coached and won a cup with in the same competition in 2018.

“Cape Town City always have something special about them. They have some good players and they are a well-organised team, and I should know because I was part of it.

“So yeah, it’s going to be exceptionally difficult now that Eric (Tinkler) is back as a coach.

“Everyone knows that Eric is a disciplinarian, so he will bring discipline to the side, a better structure, and so yes they’ll be exceptionally hard to beat and play against.

“It will be nothing like the game we played against them when we came out victors in Cape Town (in April).

“It’s going to be a very interesting and exciting game, but I’m very confident in the passion that I have at the moment.

“When that passion is there, I’ll say good luck to any other team because my players will feel it when they step on that field.”

McCarthy said the MTN8 gives his side a chance to prove that last season was not a fluke or a one-off after AmaZulu finished second on the DStv Premiership log.

“I think it’s a privilege for us that we participate in the MTN8 because it’s been many years that AmaZulu haven’t found themselves playing in this competition,” he said.

“It’s a fantastic chance to test ourselves against the top teams in the league.

“We had a fantastic time last season where we finished second, and now we have the opportunity to prove to everybody that we’re as competitive.

“We have to show that last season wasn’t just a one-off or just a maiden season where one team out of nowhere will come and make a difference, and AmaZulu was that team.

“Now we want to prove to people that we’ve stepped up our game and we deserve to be there.

"Come Sunday we are going to prove why we finished second in the league. I think it’s a great opening match for us to embark on the start of the PSL season.

“We’re looking forward to it and I think (with preparation) we’re nearly there. We're nearly ready and we’ve just had a few new players joining the team.

“It’s time to integrate them and make them understand the way AmaZulu FC plays, the philosophy and the system.

“So we just have to integrate these players with our system and come Sunday, hopefully it will be OK and we’ll be guns blazing.

“It’s a competitive game, a game that’s really meaningful to ourselves and the technical staff because we have some good lessons with the team (City) we’re playing against.”

McCarthy said Sunday’s match will be a close affair and that it is unlikely to yield too many goals.

“We know what [happens] when you play against your old team, your old friends and your old chairman.

"So ja, we’re looking forward to the challenge and we’re looking to make the home advantage count.

“We think this is a perfect opportunity for us where we can maybe add silverware and playing in the MTN8 gives you a perfect opportunity.

"It’s all the top eight teams in the league and there are no easy matches.

“Every single match is difficult, but we just have to put a run of matches together, top quality matches and then you find yourself in the final.

“That’s what we’re hoping to get and to get that consistency.

"We’re a serious team and I think to just top that off by having silverware, then I think the players will buy more into what we’re doing.”