TS Galaxy coach Adnan Beganovic says he will be wary of a dangerous Golden Arrows side, even though his team holds an impressive record against the KwaZulu-Natal outfit.
The Rockets travel to the King Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday (3pm kickoff) with both teams eyeing a place in the semi-finals of the Carling Knockout competition.
Galaxy will be aiming to go one step further this time around after their 1–0 defeat to eventual champions Magesi FC at the same stage of the tournament last season denied them another shot at silverware.
The Mbombela-based side will also be hoping to build on any positives they can find after being hit with another Fifa-imposed transfer ban — a situation that could make the coming seasons more challenging.
Beganovic, who has guided Galaxy to a solid eighth place in the Betway Premiership standings despite the early-season difficulties caused by the ban, said he was looking forward to the opportunity to test his side against another strong opposition.
“It is a great opportunity for us as a club, and we have an opportunity to play against a good opponent,” Beganovic said ahead of the match.
“It will be a good game tactically. We will give this trophy our full attention, and we want to ensure that we bring it home.”
Galaxy have dominated recent meetings between the sides, winning five of their last six encounters against Arrows, with the other ending in a draw.
The Rockets had to dig deep in the Round of 16 to edge newcomers Orbit College 1–0. With eyes now set on adding to their 2019 Nedbank Cup triumph, Beganovic insists past results will count for little on Sunday.
“We have played good games against them and mostly we have managed to win, but every game is a new opportunity for both teams. This season we have changed our team, and Arrows have also changed a lot of their players, and they are currently playing good football.
“It will be tough, but if you ask me if we have a chance — we do have a huge chance to make it to the next round. It will be good for us, and we have the quality to beat Arrows.”
Arrows head into the tie in fine form, having recorded impressive wins over Mamelodi Sundowns (1–0) and high-flying Sekhukhune United (3–1). Beganovic also identified centre forward Junior Dion as one of the key threats his side will have to contain.
“He is a good player, he has scored six goals if I am correct,” Beganovic continued.
“He is strong in the box, he is fast, and he can score if you give him a lot of space — especially with the crosses from the wings.
“We need to prepare ourselves for a fast transition. We have a plan for that, but sometimes you can train for something, and in the end, the players need to do the job on the field — in the 90 or 120 minutes, or even penalties. We need to be ready for anything.”
