Cape Town City coach Benni McCarthy says he is determined to beat Bidvest Wits in order to gain the respect of his former mentor Gavin Hunt.

The Citizens will go head-to-head with the Clever Boys when the two sides meet in the Nedbank Cup round of 32 on Wednesday.

McCarthy says he is relishing the chance to beat Wits and maintain the ‘good rivalry’ between the two clubs.

“I think there’s a nice respect between the two clubs, we have a good relationship and we work well with each other. There’s no bad blood,” McCarthy told KickOff.com.

“Whenever we face Wits it’s always a friendly rivalry, and obviously for me it’s always a learning curve when I come up against Gavin Hunt.

“Like I’ve said, and I will stress this over and over, he’s the guy who launched my career. He gave me the platform to achieve everything I have achieved in my football career.

“As a young kid, when many coaches never gave me an opportunity, he did. So, I’ll always be indebted to him.”

The City mentor says he is looking forward to stretching his unbeaten run against the students, having already won them in the Absa Premiership and in the MTN8.

“As a start-up coach, when you come up against one of your mentors and people you respect, the only way for you to gain their respect is to try and beat them,” he added.

“So, that’s the aim, that’s the intention. Three down, two more to go [this season].”

The match at the Bidvest Stadium kicks off at 19:30.