ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Johannesburg | Thursday 4.00pm.
FOR FA Cup read BobSave Super Bowl, for Manchester United read Kaizer Chiefs, for Newcastle United read SuperSport United.
The Red Devils defeated the Magpies 2-0 on the green turf of Wembley last Saturday and it would come as no surprise if the Amakhosi triumph by the same margin this Saturday.
The victory for United completed the second leg of a treble bid as they had clinched the English Premiership six days before with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Tottenham at the Old Trafford Theatre of Dreams.
A victory for Chiefs would also complete the second leg of a treble as they pipped Sundowns in a penalty shoot out at a wet FNB Stadium last November to lift the Rothmans Cup.
Newcastle entered the FA Cup final desperate to rescue a season that had seen manager Ruud Gullit spend millions of rand without any silverware to show for it. SuperSport have had an equally indifferent domestic season, losing to Bush Bucks in the first round of the Rothmans Cup and finishing eighth on the Castle Premiership standings, with 11 wins, 13 draws and 10 defeats.
The similarities do not end there, as United are as big in England as Chiefs are in South Africa. Both are successful on the field because of strength in depth, and off it they cash in on the popularity.