Durban – Romain Folz and AmaZulu will contest their first-ever Carling Black Label Cup competition Saturday in the tournament's tenth edition.
The one-day spectacle is expected to be a sold-out affair as Usuthu along with Mamelodi Sundowns join Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
The KwaZulu-Natal-based club will feature in the first match of the day against Mamelodi Sundowns at 9:30am to determine who will face the winner of the second semi-final (which kicks off at noon) for the coveted crown, set to be fought for from 5pm in the final showdown.
The 32-year-old Folz has been making steady progress with his new club AmaZulu and his influence on their style of play is beginning to surface.
However, this time the young mentor has had to trust the Usuthu faithful to pick his starting 11 for him, and expressed his delight at the players chosen for him as they stepped up preparations for the weekend.
"I'm very happy with the team the fans are choosing for me. Honestly, I would've found a way to tactically manipulate whatever the fans chose, but I'm happy with this team," he told members of the media.
"The selection I have seen makes a lot of sense for me and it's very close to what we've been doing since I arrived, so to me that means the fans can see what we're trying to do and they're trying to match that."
"Not only that, but they are also happy with what we're doing and what we're showing them with different players and different departments, so I'm very happy with my team."
The French-Moroccan tactician has been praised by some of his players for his man-management skills and his ingenuity on the football pitch.
Folz did, however, admit that the nature of the competition will impact his practice methods as opposed to previous weeks
"It will definitely play a part in some elements, although not in everything," he said.
He then explained that: "There are areas that are same wherever you are, or with whichever player you use on the field like the shape and the sequence of play, so its elements like that we're required to adjust to."
Usuthu will look to quickly forget last weekend's MTN8 heartbreak as an opportunity to claim silverware approaches, and under the most difficult circumstances.
AmaZulu will have a chance to claim a spot inside the country's top four clubs when the grand spectacle kicks off at FNB Stadium.
@SmisoScribe