Staff Reporter
Windhoek-Namibia premiership giant killers, Tura Magic, will go all the way in their quest to lift the trophy in the maiden edition of the newly introduced Debmarine Namibia Cup, but to do that the Magicians will first have to negotiate their way past the mighty Civilians.
In a battle of the giants, the two Premiership clubs will lock horns in the quarterfinal at the Legare stadium in Gobabis on Saturday.
The exciting Magicians outfit has never won the Namibia Football Association (NFA) flagship knockout cup competition, but this time around the team’s football playing centre-back Tebs Lombard believes the squad has what it takes to launch a serious challenge for the elusive honour, although the goatee-bearded defender is fully aware of the danger posed by their opponents on Saturday.
“I’ve been with the club for years now and it is yet to win major silverware. Now is the best time for us to lay our hands on the trophy, given our passage so far. Of course, Civics will be a stern test for us and if we beat them, then for sure, we can lift the cup because of the quality we have in the squad,” Lombard boasted.
The Warriors defender also believes his fellow international teammates in the squad will come in handy as they prepare to take on a Civics side that they are yet to see playing, in the absence of competitive topflight football this season.
“Look, we have no idea who is at Civics, but we have Charles Hambira, Ita Keimuine and Oswaldo Xamseb, who have been all part of the national senior team for over a month, while some of us have had the necessary game time at international level. So, I just hope that we can show on Saturday and for us to claim victory progress to the semifinals.”
The lanky centre-back acknowledges the hazard posed by the Civilians, citing goalkeeper Edward Maova, whose confidence is high after saving the decisive spot kick against Zimbabwe last weekend.
Tickets for the Debmarine Namibia Cup tie are on sale at Computicket for N$20 each and will also be available at the gates on match day.