Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has provided an update on the fitness of Teboho Mokoena, Aubrey Modiba and Bathusi Aubaas ahead of Saturday’s MTN8 final against Orlando Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The trio are facing a race against time to be fit for the highly anticipated cup final, with Mokoena and Modiba having picked up injuries while on international duty with Bafana Bafana.
Mokoena and Modiba were both involved in South Africa’s 2-1 victory over Guinea before missing the subsequent matches against Eritrea and Egypt. Aubaas, meanwhile, featured in the 5-0 win over Eritrea but was forced off after picking up an injury.
Their availability for the clash against Pirates will now depend on how they respond to further medical assessments and their return to training.
Cardoso stressed that the Brazilians will not take unnecessary risks with any of the players, particularly with the club entering a demanding period that includes the MTN8 final, a Champions League qualifying fixture and further domestic commitments.
“The players, when they go for the national team, they are national-team players,” Cardoso said, reaffirming the club’s support for their international commitments.
“We are completely aligned with that and happy that the boys were there and performed well.”
However, the Portuguese mentor made it clear that the priority is now determining whether the players have sufficiently recovered to compete.
“What is important is that we will not risk anything on any player,” Cardoso said. “We have many, many, many challenges ahead, and today we’re going to see better how is the condition of the players.”
The players returned to the club early yesterday morning and were assessed by Sundowns’ medical team, with Cardoso indicating that further work would be done before any decision is made on their participation in the final.
“Obviously yesterday they arrived early in the morning and we assessed them during the day. It’s the first contact with the players that the doctors had. Obviously I had a report yesterday. Let’s wait today, see how they react to our first intent of evaluation, but mostly of putting some work with them, and from there we will move.”
For Sundowns, the decision carries added significance given what lies beyond Saturday’s final. The club faces another important fixture on Tuesday, followed by a Champions League qualifying round and a demanding run of championship matches, before the Super Cup also comes into the equation.
Cardoso therefore does not want to gamble with the long-term availability of his players for the sake of one match.
“What is 100% sure is that we cannot risk anything on players,” he said. “This match on the weekend is very important, but on Tuesday there’s another one, there’s a qualifying round for the Champions League, there’s some championship matches in the meanwhile, and then we have also the Super Cup.”
“Losing one player for five matches in a club like ours is dramatic.”
The final decision on Mokoena, Modiba and Aubaas will consequently hinge on whether they are deemed fully recovered and able to compete without increasing the risk of further injury.
“We will have to see if they are fully recovered, and just on those conditions they will be able to play,” Cardoso said.
Sundowns will therefore head into the final with the fitness of three key midfield options still uncertain, as Cardoso weighs the importance of the MTN8 showpiece against the demands of an increasingly congested fixture schedule.
Written by: Sandile Ndumo
