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It’s Cup final in Port Elizabeth weekend!

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The underdogs are Ajax Cape Town, the favourites are Mamelodi Sundowns.

With the PSL done and dusted, Saturday’s Nedbank Cup final represents the last trophy on offer this season.

Neither of the sides who will take to the turf at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium have won anything in 2014/15, and that will hurt ‘Downs coach Pitso Mosimane more than Ajax boss Roger de Sa.

Sport24 looked at the key players from each side.

AJAX CAPE TOWN

  • Anssi Jaakkola – It starts at the back for the Urban Warriors. The 28-year-old has been in superb form throughout the campaign and is one of three nominations for goalkeeper of the season at this weekend’s PSL awards. Solid under the high ball and almost 2m tall, Jaakkola always takes some beating and that reach will come in handy should the final reach penalties.
  • Granwald Scott – Fresh off cleaning up at the Ajax Cape Town awards, Scott is a massive player for his side. With the final likely to be a tight affair, the central midfielder will be expected to protect his back four while starting attacks with an accurate yet diverse range of passing. His team-mates will also be looking to him for leadership.
  • Keagan Dolly – The speedy winger is on his way out of Ajax at the end of the season. The clincher is that he is set to join Sundowns. For this reason alone, there will be few players on the park as eager to perform as Dolly – wanting to go out a champion while impressing his new employers all at once. There has never been any doubt that Dolly has the ability, but whether or not he will deliver it on the day is uncertain.

MAMELODI SUNDOWNS

  • Alje Schut – The Dutchman may not have recovered from a thigh strain in time for Saturday, but his potential presence is still worth mentioning. Cup finals are often won by the leaders on the day, and in Schut Downs have had a leader of immense proportions over the past couple of seasons. The centre back will be returning to Holland at the end of the season, making this weekend’s final all the more significant given that it will be his last outing in a Downs jersey.
  • Teko Modise – It took Modise a while in his career to find the consistency that he has now, but it has been another good season for the playmaker. Modise is one of a few players in the league with the ability to change games single-handedly and Ajax will know his capabilities all too well, and how they manage him on the ball could prove crucial.
  • Cuthbert Malajila – The Zimbabwean is a constant goal scoring threat for Sundowns. He has an eye for the target and the positional sense of a predator. He only scored 10 goals this league season and will be disappointed with that return which could spell bad news for the Ajax defence.

Sport24

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.