By SABELO SKITI

AFTER this weekend four Premier League teams will be one game closer to a big payday – the possibility of winning the R4.25 million up for grabs in the Telkom Cup Knockout Challenge

So far four of the eight teams left in the competition all had early exits in last season’s edition. SuperSport United, Bloemfontein Celtic, Free State Stars were in the mix last season, while Bay United made their debut appearance this season. On Sunday Ajax Cape Town will host in- form Golden Arrows at 3pm, while tomorrow Moroka Swallows and Orlando Pirates meet at Olympia Park (8pm).

The last time the two Soweto sides met – albeit in a league encounter, Pirates won 1-0 – but this one being a cup game raises the stakes.

Though the Soweto derby between the two teams pales in comparison to Chiefs/Pirates derbies, it is still important in Soweto where the outcome of the match would be debated for days.

Swallows captain Lefa Tsutsulupa said: “It’s going to be an entertaining game Saturday night.”

For the Urban Warriors, who will be buoyed by their win over SuperSport United last weekend, they will be in a battle to be consistent against Golden Arrows.

The two-time Telkom Cup champions, Ajax, are on a mission to salvage their status tag of one of the league’s cup specialists following disastrous cup form last season.

Coach Craig Rosslee is likely to try and seal the result in the first half, but would need to be wary of Golden Arrows who took Chiefs apart in the first round by catching them on the counter-attack. On Sunday SuperSport United will host Bloemfontein Celtic at the Super Stadium in Atteridgeville.