The Carling Knockout quarter-finals open at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday when Mamelodi Sundowns meet Golden Arrows for the fourth time this season. The match is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. CAT at Loftus Versfeld.
Sundowns have taken two of the three meetings between the clubs so far this term. The Brazilians lost 1-0 in the MTN8 semi-final first leg but overturned the deficit with a 3-2 second-leg victory to win the tie on away goals, and later beat Arrows 2-1 in the Premiership.
Arrows begin the cup phase under Mandla Ncikazi, who returned to the club nearly five and a half years after leaving for Orlando Pirates. Ncikazi spent much of his time at Pirates as an assistant coach and served as co-coach alongside Fadlu Davids in 2021-22 between the tenures of Josef Zinnbauer and Jose Riveiro. He also arrives with a 2025-26 Premiership title to his name from his time under Abdeslam Ouaddou.
Ncikazi was reminded in his first match back that immediate transformation is not guaranteed when AmaZulu beat Arrows 1-0 in Saturday’s Durban derby, Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya scoring the winner. Arthur Zwane has coached Usuthu for just over two years — six months as co-coach followed by more than a year and a half as sole head coach — and AmaZulu’s progress, along with Durban City’s 2025-26 Nedbank Cup win, has raised expectations for KwaZulu-Natal sides.
The remaining quarter-finals pair Kaizer Chiefs with Siwelele, Orlando Pirates with Sekhukhune United, and Stellenbosch with AmaZulu, with kick-off times and venues for those ties yet to be confirmed. According to ESPN, the action will be available on SuperSport, with ESPN providing updates on its digital platforms.
