Kaizer Chiefs will play at home against National First Division (NFD) outfit, Milford FC, in the Last 32 of the 2024 Nedbank Cup, following the draw in Johannesburg on Thursday evening.

The prestigious competition offers Amakhosi a wonderful opportunity to end their loyal fanbase’s long wait for a major trophy and they will feel confident of getting past the KwaZulu Natal-based team that currently sits in 12^th place in the NFD standings, with only five wins from 17 matches.

Chiefs defender, Thatayaone Ditlhokwe, who attended the ceremony, outlines the team’s determination to go all the way to victory this year in the biggest Cup competition on the domestic football calendar.

He tells www.kaizerchiefs.com, “I can just say that this is the Cup that gives us hope. It is the last trophy for us to compete for this season. Despite giving our level best, we haven’t won anything yet. Hence, the Nedbank Cup is here now and it is all about focusing and working hard, going all out to put some silverware in the cabinet, because it would not be good for us to finish the season emptyhanded.”

While any ‘David v Goliath’ match-up is always a potential banana skin for a heavy favourite, as they are expected to win comfortably and anything less is criticised as a failure, the 25-year-old centre-back believes the key to avoiding such a trap lies in their preparation for the encounter.

“We don’t know much about them,” he admits, “but at the end of the day, it is all about focusing on ourselves, preparing and remaining focused on our objective to win. Our only objective is to win this Cup, there’s nothing more. We have only one thing in our minds.”

Ditlhokwe says his “recovery [from lengthy injury] is going well and I think I’ll be back in action sooner rather than later”, which will be good news for Coach Cavin Johnson and the Amakhosi Faithful.

The date and time for the exciting Nedbank Cup Last 32 tie will be announced in due course.