Golden Arrows will look to take a major step towards a first top flight cup final when they take on KwaZulu-Natal rivals AmaZulu in an MTN8 semifinal first leg match at the Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday afternoon (kick-off 3pm).

'Abafana Bes'thende' booked their place in the semifinals of South Africa's traditional season-opening top eight cup for the first time by defeating Free State Stars 1-0 at the Charles Mopeli Stadium last week.

Musa Bilankulu scored the all important goal for Manqoba Mngqithi's team in their victory over 'Ea Lla Koto' but they will now have to refocus for this all-important derby match against 'Usuthu'.

AmaZulu knocked out league champions SuperSport United in their MTN8 quarterfinal, winning on penalties after a 2-2 draw. However, the Pretoria team really should have finished off the game in normal time, as they created a plethora of goal scoring chances.

Neil Tovey's team have been rocked by the tragic death of Jan Sillo, who was killed in a car accident earlier this week. He is the second AmaZulu player to pass away in less than a year, as the club lost Siyabonga Mkhwanazi in September 2008.

'Usuthu' will have been destabilised by Sillo's sad and untimely passing but they will definitely come out firing in this KwaZulu-Natal derby and look to honour his memory.

"We can't sit back; we have to go out and win in his honour. We have to win something for him," AmaZulu coach Neil Tovey told The Mercury.

He added: "The first two days were quite tough. Collectively the team decided to train at the first training session after we heard the news. After the second one the vibe was better, but we haven't forgotten Sillo."

Arrows, on the other hand, will probably look to be patient and try to sneak and away goal or two, knowing that this will put them in a great position to advance to the final when they host the return leg on August 22.

Interestingly, the teams have only met once before in a cup game: the 2003/04 Coca-Cola Cup (league cup). Arrows claimed a 2-1 victory on the day thanks to goals from Mabhuti Khenyeza and Jainudeen Lakay.

The KwaZulu-Natal clubs have met on 11 occasions in all competitions. Arrows have won five games to AmaZulu's three and outscored their rivals 13 goals to eight.

However, 'Usuthu' claimed a league 'double' over 'Abafana Bes'thende' in the 2008/09 Absa Premiership, winning their home fixture 2-0 and the return match 1-0.