Johannesburg – Local fans are excitedly counting down the hours until the restart of local football and action resumes with a Nedbank Cup semifinal double-header that will be played in front of an empty Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
Bloemfontein Celtic and Baroka FC will be greeted by empty seats when they face each other in the first semifinal while Sundowns and BidVest will get their first taste of life under the shadow of Covid-19 in the second match later.
It’s been almost five months since players last played in an official outing and Celtic coach John Maduka expects the match to be played in a slower pace than usual due to the effects of such a long period of inactivity.
Maduka said his hteam did not play any friendly matches in the build up to Saturday’s encounter and this means his players will have to adapt very quickly to the new challenges presented by the coronavirus.
Saturday’s match will be Maduka’s first outing since he took charge of the team following co-coach Lehlohonolo Seema’s departure to Chippa United recently.
