Hunt says Stellenbosch and Durban City have an ‘even chance’ in Carling Knockout Cup

Stellenbosch head coach Gavin Hunt believes his side and Durban City have an equal opportunity to reach the Carling Knockout Cup quarter-finals when they meet in the last 16 at Chatsworth Stadium tonight.

The match will decide the final place in the last eight, with the winner joining Golden Arrows, Siwelele, AmaZulu, Sekhukhune United, Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs in the quarter-finals.

Hunt, 62, faced questions from local media on Monday about the meeting with Durban City, whom he coached at the start of last season. He highlighted the strength of the squad he helped build and warned that Stellenbosch would face a difficult test at Chatsworth.

“Yeah, listen, did a lot of work on that team. You know, did a lot of work behind the scenes, getting players in there. So they’ve got a good nucleus of players there,” Hunt said this week.

He also pointed to Durban City’s physical qualities and their strong record at their home ground.

“Yeah, they’ve got a lot of power, a lot of strength, and generally their record’s been good at Chatsworth, so it’s not easy to go there, that’s for sure,” he added.

Despite those concerns, Hunt believes Stellenbosch can progress if they perform as planned.

“But I think if we play accordingly. I think we’ve got an even chance, like they have as well. I think we just need to, what I said earlier, just get a little bit more settled team. Not that I’m changing it every week. It’s just what’s available, you know what I’m saying?” he said.

Hunt said the team’s selection would become more settled as players became available, and expressed confidence in the group at his disposal.

“So I think once we get that, I’ve got a lot of confidence in the group of players we’ve got here. So where it takes us, you never know,” he said.

The quarter-final draw will be held at Chatsworth Stadium after the last-16 tie.