NEDBANK CUP: WHAT HISTORY TELLS US

Ahead of the 2020 Nedbank Cup final between Bloemfontein Celtic and Mamelodi Sundowns, we look back at previous finals for tips on predicting this year’s epic finale.

It’s the league champions up against a team unbeaten since football returned under “Bio bubble” conditions.

While Sundowns are comfortably tipped as favourites – back them to win at 2.02 – with Celtic at larger odds at 4.09 to win during the 90 minutes.

Masandawana are in-form with two consecutive 3-0 wins en route to their 10th PSL crown. But before that, they enjoyed a rollercoaster run which started with three draws and a loss to Cape Town City in the league. Hardly the type of displays that will have Siwelele’s loyal fans shaking in their boots.

Under the guidance of former Malawian international John Maduka, Celtic earned respectable draws against SuperSport United and Bidvest Wits with their commanding 3-1 win over Chiefs the standout display since the game’s resumption.

Looking for a clue as to Saturday’s winner, we note that the previous two finals (TS Galaxy beat Chiefs and Free State Stars defeated Maritzburg United) were settled by a goal in each game. Those results were on the back of two SuperSport United masterclass victories over Orlando Pirates (3-2 and then 4-1). Going five years back, Sundowns needed penalties to beat Ajax Cape Town.

History may then just be offering a glimmer of hope for the underdogs. Cup final football often proves the theory that form is irrelevant and a stroke of fortune is enough to land the silverware.

Since 2008 – when Nedbank took on the naming rights of this trophy – as many as eight finals saw only the winners scoring. Another key indicator is that only one final in this era has been drawn.

Suggested bets to consider:

Sundowns to win 2-0 at 8.00

Bloemfontein Celtic to win 1-0 at 9.75

Under 2.5 match goals at 1.70

Nedbank Cup finals since 2008:

2008	Mamelodi Sundowns	1–0	Mpumalanga Black Aces	Johannesburg Stadium
2008–09	Moroka Swallows	1–0	Pretoria University	Rand Stadium
2009–10	Bidvest Wits	3–0	AmaZulu	Soccer City
2010–11	Orlando Pirates	3–1	Black Leopards	Mbombela Stadium
2011–12	Supersport United	2–0	Mamelodi Sundowns	Orlando Stadium
2012–13	Kaizer Chiefs	1–0	Supersport United	Moses Mabhida Stadium
2013–14	Orlando Pirates	3–1	Bidvest Wits	Moses Mabhida Stadium
2014–15	Mamelodi Sundowns	0–0 (aet; 4–3 pen.)	Ajax Cape Town	Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
2015–16	Supersport United	3–2	Orlando Pirates	Peter Mokaba Stadium
2016–17	Supersport United	4–1	Orlando Pirates	Moses Mabhida Stadium
2017–18	Free State Stars	1–0	Maritzburg United	Cape Town Stadium
2018–19[2]	TS Galaxy	1–0	Kaizer Chiefs	Moses Mabhida Stadium

Bet on the Nedbank Cup Final