Bidvest Wits will be determined to defend their title when they meet Baroka FC in a Telkom Knockout (TKO) semifinal match the new Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday (start at 3 pm).
This game will be a repeat of last year's TKO quarterfinal when the same teams clashed with Wits coming through with a 1-0 victory.
But Baroka will have extra incentive to turn the tables as they have reached the semifinal stage of the TKO for the first time in their history having exited in the quarterfinals not only in 2017 but also the year before.
However, Wits will be playing in their fifth Telkom Knockout semifinal in the PSL era. They lost in 2003 and 2004 but claimed victories in 2011 and 2017.
The Students seem to be on a roll and have won each of their last six Telkom Knockout fixtures, scoring 10 goals and conceding only three. Their last defeat was a 3-1 first round loss to Free State Stars in 2016.
Baroka has been involved in 11 cup matches in all competitions in their Premier Soccer League history, winning seven and losing four.
Wits should also have a mental advantage on Sunday because they have beaten Baroka 2-0 and 1-0 in their most recent meetings in the 2017/18 season.
The Telkom Knockout was first played in 1982 as the Datsun Challenge, with the inaugural winners being Arcadia Shepherds, who defeated Highlands Park 2-0 in a replay after their initial match had finished 1-1.
Kaizer Chiefs are the most successful club in the tournament’s history, winning 13 of
their 17 finals to date. They have appeared in almost half of the 36 finals played.