Bakgaga have twice reached the tournament's semi-finals in previous installments and have now set a target of winning the competition. They face ABC Motsepe League side Steenberg United in the last 16 at Peter Mokaba Stadium tomorrow (15h30), a big chance for them to progress to the last eight.
Baroka are yet to lose a match since interim boss Macdonald Makhubedu took charge of the team. Head coach Kgoloko Thobejane was suspended for allegedly drinking on the job and has since been fired, which gives Makhubedu an opportunity to prove himself in the hot seat until the end of the season.
And there’d be no better way to convince chairman Mphahlele that he deserves the job than to win the cup competition.
“We are looking forward to the match and hopefully we will perform well and proceed to the top eight. Our target is to be the last team standing. It has been our target since 2011 and we are going to achieve it. The Nedbank Cup must come to Limpopo,” Mphahlele says.
“These players are very good and the coach understands them. You can see the way we beat Cape Town City and you can see the way they are playing. You can see a big improvement with the boys.
Mphahlele says he has seen improvement in the team since Makhubedu took charge and has been impressed with new captain Letladi Madubanya.
“Our new captain Letladi brought a lot of experience. He can control the last line of defence and that’s why we are not conceding silly goals,” the chairman says.