Stellenbosch FC head coach has revealed his excitement ahead of the club’s return to Danie Craven Stadium for the Nedbank Cup Round of 32 clash against Kruger United.

Stellies will take to the pitch at their vaunted home stadium for the first time since August last year when they open their 2025 Nedbank Cup campaign against second-division side Kruger United.

Read | Ticket & fixture information for Kruger United clash

Speaking ahead of the encounter, head coach Steve Barker revealed his excitement at the prospect of playing in front of the Maroon Army, while cautioning his side against underestimating their opponents.

“We’re very excited,” Barker said. “Firstly, because we’re playing at Danie Craven Stadium. It’s been a while since we’ve played here in front of our home fans so we’re looking forward to it…

“It’s going to be very special to be back at the DC. It’s been a difficult and heartsore period for many of our fans who haven’t been able to attend our games because many of our matches haven’t been here.

“It’s a special field and stadium for us, in front of our special fans, so I’m really hoping they come out in their numbers to support the team because we’re really excited to be back at home.

“….The Nedbank Cup is a fantastic competition to be involved in. We made the semi-finals in each of the last two seasons, unfortunately in both seasons we lost out on making the final, so we’re determined to go one better this time around by reaching the final and winning it.

“It’s a trophy that we dearly want to lift at the end of the tournament. It’s not going to be easy [against Kruger United], there are no teams that are easy to play against because we all have the same ambitions.

“That makes it important for us to approach the game with the right commitment, mentality, and professionalism and then hopefully we can get ourselves into the Round of 16.”

Speaking on the threat of United, Barker added, “We’ve developed over the years into a team that knows how to win different types of games and against different types of opposition, and playing on the continent has also exposed us to different types of situations.

“They may be a Motsepe Foundation team but history has shown that they are a very difficult team to play against. They have real quality and experience, with a lot of exciting young players, and it’s a great opportunity for them as well.

“It’s important that we don’t become complacent and that we respect our opposition, while also playing to our full potential. If we are able to do that then I think it will give us a good chance of progressing to the next round.”

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The Nedbank Cup Round of 32 clash between Stellenbosch FC and Kruger United is set to kick off at 19h00 at Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch. The match will be streamed on SuperSport OTT 2 and tickets can be purchased for R40 from TicketPro / SPAR outlets.