Kaizer Chiefs' genuine trophy hopes for this season will be on high beams in the Nedbank Cup as they enter the Last 16 of the competition on Saturday.
Chiefs have Chippa United as opposition at FNB Stadium on Saturday (18:00) as they seek to negotiate their way into the quarterfinals.
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Every step that they make will be greeted by enthusiasm considering how thirsty and frustrated the club's huge fan base has become.
Nasreddine Nabi carries the hopes this season in a path that has come with trophy failure from Steve Komphela, Giovanni Solinas, Ernst Middendorp, Gavin Hunt, Stuart Baxter, Arthur Zwane, Molefi Ntseki, and Cavin Johnson.
With their chances in the league already dim just past the halfway mark, thoughts of silverware this season now rest on the Nedbank Cup.
Though they remain the most successful club in the history of this cup with 13 titles, they have not won it since 2013, which was two years before their last trophy across all competitions.
It could be the kind of reminder that might inspire the drive to end the silverware wait.
In the conversation restricted to the Nedbank Cup, Chiefs will reach 30 matches of hunting on Saturday.
They have been in the final once, semi-finals thrice, quarterfinals once, Last 16 twice and came stuck in the Last 32 on four occasions from the 29 games spread over the past 11 years.
All that will be forgotten this season, just like all else they have missed since they last won trophies.
Amakhosi have had 35 attempts at silverware without luck.
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They have come short in the league nine times, then MTN8 (seven times), Telkom Knockout (seven times), and Nedbank Cup (nine times).
Chiefs have also been involved in the CAF Champions League twice without joy and came stuck in the CAF Confederation Cup during the 2018/19 season.