SuperSport United captain Dean Furman admits that his side will have to be on top of their game to beat Tshwane rivals Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.

Matsatsantsa are set to travel to Loftus Versfeld Stadium to take on Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup round-of-32 clash as they battle for a place in the last 16.

The 29-year-old, who scored one goal in 25 appearances so far this campaign, has already had success with SuperSport in cup competitions, having won back-to-back Nedbank Cup titles in 2015-16 and 2016-17, while also clinching the MTN8 title during the 2017-18 season.

However, Furman believes fellow midfielder Teboho Mokwena will play a huge role in helping United against Sundowns in what is expected to be a ‘very tough’ Tshwane derby.

‘This is an important tournament for us and one where we have enjoyed a lot of success in recent years,’ Furman told his club’s official website.

‘A very difficult first-round draw against Mamelodi Sundowns but that is the joy of cup competition where there are no seedings. It will be a very tough match, but we hope to have learned from our game last month. We are going to have to be at the top of our game to progress to the next round.

‘Teboho “Tebza” Mokoena is a big player for us and of course his presence and quality were missed in the middle of the park against Sundowns last time out. He will have a huge role to play and we know when he is on top of his game, he is up there with the best midfielders in the league.

‘This fixture always throws up interesting side stories. We all know the history of coach Pitso Mosimane and coach Kaitano Tembo, but all these stories will have little importance once the whistle blows on Saturday night.’