Attention turns to the Nedbank Cup last 16 this weekend, with seven of the eight ties to be played and a quarterfinal place beckoning for the winners, putting them just two games from a chance of lifting the trophy.

We are guaranteed to have three GladAfrica Championship teams in the next round as sides from that division face-off, but there are also some intriguing match-ups between sides from the DStv Premiership.

Here is our quick guide to the Nedbank Cup Last 16.

CAPE TOWN ALL STARS VS CAPE TOWN SPURS

A local derby that is sure to be fiercely fought between two sides that have already been to battle in the league this season.

Spurs, who have been rebranded from Ajax Cape Town, claimed a 1-0 home success on 23 January thanks to an early penalty from Botswana international Mpho Kgaswane.

It was the first-ever competitive meeting between the clubs, though they have clashed many times before in friendly encounters, and there will be little mystery between the two.

Spurs had expected to be among the challengers in the GladAfrica Championship this season after narrowly missing out on promotion at the end of the last campaign, but have found the going tough and have already replaced coach Vladislav Heric with Ian Taylor.

They recently signed a host of Brazilian players, and all four could feature in this contest to bring some Samba flair.

All Stars ended a run of five straight defeats with their Nedbank Cup last 32 victory away at Bizana Pondo Chiefs, and moving up the league table will be a priority for them.

Spurs defeated top-flight Baroka FC on penalties in the last round to advance, their 19-year-old goalkeeper Lincoln Vyver proving the hero with two saves in the shoot-out.

TTM VS SWALLOWS

These two clubs were campaigning in the second-tier last season, but have had contrasting campaigns since their elevation to the top-flight.

Swallows won their place in the DStv Premiership via promotion, while TTM bought the status of BidVest Wits, but have since been sold again and are under new owners.

The Limpopo club has battled in their maiden top-flight campaign, which makes their 1-0 win over SuperSport United in the last round something of a surprise. Especially as Matsatsantsa had already beaten them twice this campaign. Since then TTM have gone on to win their next two games as well, both by 1-0 scorelines.

Swallows are unbeaten in 17 matches in all competitions this campaign and defeated second-tier Cape United 1-0 in the last round.

In fact, they have lost just one of their previous 34 games, dating back to December 2019.

Swallows won 2-0 in Limpopo earlier in the campaign, Ruzaigh Gamildien and Sipho Sibiya on target, while last season there was a win apiece in the GladAfrica Championship as both teams claimed 3-0 successes at home.

Swallows were 2009 Nedbank Cup winners, but they have not been past the second round in eight attempts since.

BLACK LEOPARDS VS AMAZULU

An all-DStv Premiership clash between two teams with opposing fortunes, Leopards have endured a difficult time but defeated second-tier Jomo Cosmos 2-1 in the last round after a rush of late goals.

AmaZulu squeezed past Durban rivals Lamontville Golden Arrows on penalties, but showed the kind of fighting spirit that coach Benni McCarthy demands of his teams, and it will be no different against Lidoda Duvha.

The last 10 clashes between the sides have resulted in five wins for Usuthu, three Leopards victories and two draws, though AmaZulu have not won in Limpopo since 2012. Their last visit was a 0-0 draw in December 2019.

Leopards have not managed a goal in any of their last three games against the Durban club, but in the likes of the last round’s hero, Ovidy Karuru, they have an ex-Usuthu player who will be desperate to get one over his former side.

AmaZulu are six-time finalists of South Africa’s FA Cup, but have never won, while they have not made it past the second round since a semifinal showing in 2012.

They have two previous meetings with Leopards in the Nedbank Cup since 2008, winning 3-2 in the quarterfinals in 2008 and losing 1-0 in the Last 32 the following year.

Leopards were runners-up in 2011, and have made the quarterfinals twice since then in 2015 and 2019.

MARITZBURG UNITED VS ORLANDO PIRATES

Orlando Pirates might hope their clash against Maritzburg United is something of an omen, the last time they played the KwaZulu-Natal side in the Nedbank Cup was in 2014 when they went on to lift the trophy.

That was a semifinal meeting that was won 2-1 by The Buccaneers thanks to a goal from Mpho Makola, and the unfortunate Mario Booysen, who put the ball into his own net for Maritzburg.

Both sides had their struggles in the last round against second-tier opponents, Pirates edging Uthongathi 1-0 and Maritzburg triumphing 2-1 over Sekhukhune United.

Pirates have not been past the second round since back-to-back runner-up appearances in 2016 and 2017, but are looking for a knockout ‘double’ after winning the MTN8 earlier this season.

Maritzburg were runners-up in 2018 but have also not advanced past this stage since.

Pirates have not lost any of their last eight meetings with Maritzburg, winning five of those, while they have triumphed 1-0 on their last three visits to the Harry Gwala Stadium.

That includes a meeting as recently as 23 January when Bucs claimed victory thanks to a first-half goal from Deon Hotto.

Maritzburg have managed just a single goal in almost 13 hours of football against Pirates, scored by Siyanda Xulu in 2018, a horror run for the Team of Choice strikers.

TS SPORTING VS RICHARDS BAY

This is another all-GladAfrica Championship clash between giants-killers Richards Bay and TS Sporting, who both ousted top-flight opposition in the last 32.

Richards Bay stunned Kaizer Chiefs with a 2-1 victory in Soweto, while Sporting beat 2019 Nedbank Cup champions TS Galaxy on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

Both these sides have been on a good run of late. Sporting are unbeaten in five games, while Richards Bay have not lost in nine, winning their last three.

Sporting will be looking for their first-ever victory over their opponents, having failed to pick up a win in their previous five meetings.

There are two wins for Richards Bay in there and three draws, including a 0-0 stalemate when these sides met in KwaZulu-Natal in the league on 17 January. Richards Bay claimed an away win at Sporting in the league fixture last season.

Sporting reached the quarterfinals of the Nedbank Cup last in 2020 on debut in the competition, narrowly losing 3-2 on penalties to top-flight Bloemfontein Celtic after a 1-1 draw.

Richards Bay made the second round in their two previous Nedbank Cup appearances in 2018 and 2019, but lost on both occasions to … Bloemfontein Celtic.

PRETORIA CALLIES VS JDR STARS

A Pretoria Derby between two of the form teams in the second tier this season, who are both in the top five in the GladAfrica Championship.

Newly-promoted Callies, in particular, are on a fine run with five victories in a row after a difficult start to the season, which includes a 1-0 success over Royal AM in the last round, Pogiso Mahlangu getting the goal.

Stars also edged second-tier opposition when they beat University of Pretoria 2-1, with both of these now into the second round for the first time as they make their debut in the competition.

Stars were comprehensive 2-0 winners at Callies when the teams met in the league on 3 January, as first-half goals from Vusimuzi Mncube and Temptation Chiwunga (penalty) settled the contest.

Stars are coached by owner Nditsheni Masisi, who is an attorney by trade, while Callies are the oldest professional club in South Africa, having been formed in 1898, but spent the last few decades in the amateur ranks.

CHIPPA UNITED VS CAPE TOWN CITY

An all-DStv Premiership clash between two sides hoping to reach the Nedbank Cup final for the first time, with Chippa United, in particular, having been involved in some near misses.

The Nelson Mandela Bay side were semifinalists in 2017 and 2019, but lost to SuperSport United and Kaizer Chiefs respectively, while Cape Town City have not been past the quarterfinals.

Chippa needed penalties to beat second-tier Free State Stars to reach this stage, while City breezed past Bloemfontein Celtic 4-0, their biggest ever win in the Nedbank Cup.

There have been nine previous meetings between the sides since City’s formation ahead of the 2016-17 season, with the Mother City club largely holding away.

They have five wins to Chippa’s two, though the last meeting on 24 October ended in a 1-1 draw, one of two stalemates between the teams.

In games at Chippa, City lead the head-to-head 3-1. This will be the first-ever knockout meeting between the sides.

MAMELODI SUNDOWNS VS POLOKWANE CITY

This match, which has been shifted to March 10, would have been an all-DStv Premiership clash last season, but Polokwane City were relegated from the top-flight at the end of the campaign and are now undergoing a rebuild in the second-tier.

On paper, it looks a miss-match, but City have handed out their fair share of shock wins over Sundowns in the last few years, even as The Brazilians dominated the local landscape.

The last six meetings see Sundowns lead the head-to-head 3-2, with a single draw, while overall there have been 17 previous clashes, with the Pretoria-based side leading 9-5.

In the nine previous games play at Sundowns, it reads 4-2 with three draws.

A 3-0 victory for Sundowns in the penultimate game of last season all but relegated City, so they might have some revenge on their minds. Although they mathematically still had a hope of survival, realistically it sent them into the GladAfrica Championship.

This will be the first-ever Nedbank Cup meeting between the clubs, but they did clash in the Telkom Knockout in 2016 when Sundowns won 2-0.

City have recently appointed veteran Johnny Ferreira as their new coach, and he lifted the trophy in this competition with Witbank Aces in 1993 as they beat Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 in the final. Sundowns won the league that year.