Carling Knockout draw: Big Three cannot meet in opening round

The opening-round draw for the Carling Knockout will rule out a Soweto Derby and prevent Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs from facing one another.

The draw for this season’s competition will take place on Wednesday at 19:00 at Langhams Lifestyle Estate in Fourways, Johannesburg, with the tournament scheduled to begin on October 24.

The Carling Knockout features all 16 teams in the top flight. Orlando Pirates are the holders after beating Marumo Gallants in last season’s final.

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has confirmed that the draw will use three pots, with eight clubs seeded according to their finishing positions in the previous Betway Premiership season.

Pot A will contain the eight seeded sides that ended the campaign in positions 1 to 8. Pot C will contain the other eight, unseeded clubs, while Pot B will begin empty and be used to determine which team is at home and which is away.

The seeded teams are Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs, AmaZulu FC, Sekhukhune United, Golden Arrows, Polokwane City and Durban City. All remaining clubs will be placed in Pot C.

The PSL’s procedure means one seeded club and one unseeded club will be paired at a time. The league said: “We draw a ball from the seeded bowl (Pot A) and place it in the empty bowl (Pot B) without opening it.

“We draw a ball from the unseeded bowl (Pot C) and place it in the empty bowl (Pot B) without opening it.

“We then go to Pot B and draw the first ball for home, and the second ball for away.”

As a result, the three leading clubs traditionally associated with the “Big Three” – Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs – will be kept apart in the first round. They could only meet in a later stage, provided they progress beyond their opening fixtures.

The format differs from the MTN8, where the previous season’s league positions decide the match-ups among the top eight teams. It also contrasts with the Nedbank Cup, which places all 32 participating teams into a single draw.

Mamelodi Sundowns manager Miguel Cardoso has already guided his side to the first cup trophy of the season. Sundowns defeated Orlando Pirates 2-0 in the final at Moses Mabhida Stadium last Saturday.