Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi has urged his side not to underestimate Richards Bay FC when they meet in the Nedbank Cup last 32 on Wednesday afternoon.

The Brazilians are scheduled to travel to the Richards Bay Sports Stadium for a thrilling encounter with Amabhubesi to secure their place in the next round of the competition.

Mngqithi believes they are in for a tough match against a team who are “very competitive” following their form so far this season.

“You always expect anyone in that space, I think that we are playing against a very competitive team in Richards Bay, they have done very well this season in the league,” Mngqithi told his club’s official website.

“They are up there, it tells us that we must know that they are giant killers, they’ve done very well in the past against big teams and that becomes very important for us to look at this and give it all the respect that it requires and work very hard to make sure that the team is ready.

“We were a little bit unfortunate in the draw to get a team that will give us a hard time, but nonetheless we are confident of the team that we have, we believe they’ve got the capacity to upset any team in the league and we are hopeful that we will be able to get the desired results.

“They are a closed book because we have not seen many of their matches this season, even on TV, but we know that they are a team that always causes an upset, a team that is experienced in the Nedbank Cup and over the years they have done very well in that space. We have to tread carefully and make sure that we give them the necessary respect.”

Mngqithi praised the tournament as it gives players from the GladAfrica Champions and lower leagues in South Africa the chance to put their names out there and prove their worth against the best in the country.

“It’s a cup of dreams, a cup where boys from the rural areas and the villages believe that they’ve also got a chance to be snatched by big teams,” he added.

“They’ve got a chance to upset some big teams, the chance to showcase their talents and be seen by big clubs in the country and because of that motivational factor, it makes every team that you are playing against at this level to be very competitive and very difficult to plan against. You must know that most of them will be playing off the calf because they are intrinsically motivated to play in this cup, every team that is in the last 32 believe that they’ve got the chance to go to the next round and all the way to the end.

“The cup itself makes it a very interesting contest for every competitor, which makes every player believe they’ve got the chance to achieve something – either they achieve by getting their team through to the next round or they achieve being seen by some of the big teams and get an opportunity. There are many players that came from the Nedbank Cup, most players that we have in the league have come from that space, so we cannot take anything for granted when it comes to this tournament.

“It’s one cup that is very exciting, [as it] brings a lot of fire and a lot of surprises and therefore you don’t want to be among those victims in this cup.”