Sundowns give update on injured Bafana stars ahead of Pirates tie

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has given an injury update on the Bafana Bafana players ahead of the DStv Premiership clash at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday evening.

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Mokwena stated that the team might go into the Bucs clash without some of them, but the Sundowns coach feels that the Brazilians are strong enough to win their game against Pirates.

“I think with the Bafana Bafana players we have a few concerns. We’ve got a couple of players that came back with injuries and that might delay their return because we now have to deal with their rehabilitation. We have some concerns with Mothobi Mvala, Thapelo Maseko, Themba Zwane, Teboho Mokoena, Khuliso Mudau and Ronwen Williams. They now have to start with regeneration and the rehabilitation phase because they have to flush out the stress and the pressures of a tournament of that magnitude. Psychologically there needs to be some work done so they are ready to be competitive again,” Mokwena told the club’s website.

Mokwena added that they are anticipating a difficult encounter against Pirates.

“The break was good for us. The mini mid-season camp was very good. We worked on a couple of things we want to improve in the second half of the season. We know how difficult the game is going to be. It’s always difficult after such a long period of rest. We have not had all our players for every single training session at the same time, which makes it a little bit complicated, but we have a very good squad and a lot of very good players in every possession. We feel that we are strong enough to be able to win the game with the squad that we have,” the head coach stated.

“We know how difficult it’s going to be on Saturday. We are playing against a very good side and we have to make sure that we are at our best, not just in a tactical perspective but also emotionally and maybe even psychologically too, to make sure that we give a great performance,” he continued.

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Meanwhile, Mokwena also gave an update about on the new Sundowns signings.

“The new signings are settling well. Tashreeq Matthews came in with some concerns but he is training well and is now getting better and stronger. Matías Esquivel’s adaptation is a little bit difficult for him because of the language barrier. He has a completely different way of playing and you can expect very good things from him once he’s settled. Zuko Mdunyelwa is very good. I have been surprised by him especially from a physical perspective. He is a good footballer too and learns very quickly. You’ll see some of the new players gaining some game time in the upcoming matches.”