Cape Town City will welcome Mamelodi Sundowns to Cape Town Stadium in what is expected to be a mouth-watering Nedbank Cup quarter-final clash on Sunday, writes DYLAN APPOLIS.

The clash on Sunday will be the first meeting between the two sides in a cup competition, having already met four times with the Citizens claiming three wins while Sundowns grabbed the most recent fixture.

The Citizens booked their place in the quarter-final after claiming a 1-0 home win over an in-form Orlando Pirates outfit in the previous round. City were also paired against Bidvest Wits at the start of the competition and walked away with a narrow 1-0 victory over the defending Absa Premiership champions.

Since advancing to the last eight, City suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Costa do Sol in the qualifying round of the Caf Confederations Cup, with the side from Mozambique advancing on away goals.

City head coach Benni McCarthy said: ‘I think he’s [Downs coach Pitso Mosimane] going to go for it‚ but we will do so too. With the personnel that they’re going to bring to the game, they will come at us. The last few games that we’ve analysed of theirs‚ they’ve attacked with four players and various options that he can use,’ McCarthy explained.

‘They will want to put us on the back foot straight away and our game is very simple – without revealing what we want to do – but we know we’ll be pressed high‚ which we welcome. We are a good building-up side‚ one of the best in the league‚ and we can handle the high-pressure game.’

Meanwhile, Sundowns made their way into the last eight after they came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over minnows EC Bees at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on 13 March.

Since that win, Sundowns progressed to the group stages of the Caf Champions League following their 2-0 aggregate win over Rwanda side Rayon Sport.

Sundowns head coach Pitso Mosimane said: ‘We are playing a very good team and I think everybody knows the history between us – and history favours them,’ Mosimane said.

‘Benni is a good, young, up-and-coming coach with the pedigree of being in Europe in his playing days. He has a good understanding of the game.

‘We have to give our respect to them and understand that they are a good team … that is why they are where they are.’