Cape Town City captain Robyn Johannes believes his side’s Nedbank Cup last-16 clash against Orlando Pirates is the ‘final before the final’, writes DYLAN APPOLIS.

The Citizens will be hoping to advance to the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals when they go head-to-head with the Buccaneers at the Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday.

Johannes has warned his side of the Buccaneers’ current form, but the City captain believes they will be up for the challenge.

‘It’s the final before the final‚’ Johannes said on Tuesday at a City training session.

‘We are not naive; we know it is a very difficult game and it’s a big task ahead of us but in games like these, form gets thrown out the window.

‘It will go to whoever wants it more on the day and I’m sure we’ll be up for the challenge.’

The 31-year-old says his side will forget about their current form in the Absa Premiership and shift their focus on going all the way to the Nedbank Cup final.

‘We’ve had loads of ups and downs this season but you know we want to get closer to the top of the pack as quickly as we can,’ he added.

‘This gives us a chance to shift the focus a bit and challenge for the Nedbank [Cup] and forget about the league for a while.

‘We want to try and go all the way.’

The match at Cape Town Stadium kicks off at 19:30.

Photo: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix