Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has given an update on the availability of Peter Shalulile and Lucas Ribeiro Costa for Sunday’s African Football League final against Wydad Casablanca.
Sundowns have played the last five games in the AFL without any of their strikers. Ribeiro and Shalulile missed the two legs of the quarterfinal against Petro de Luanda and the two semi-final legs against Al Ahly. They were also unavailable for the first leg of the final played in Casablanca on Sunday.
Shalulile was battling with an ankle injury, while Ribeiro picked up a knee injury. Nassir is yet to feature this season due to a quadriceps-related injury.
Mokwena has deployed Themba Zwane as a false nine in the absence of his strikers. He has praised the 34-year-old playmaker for sacrificing for the team.
However, the Downs mentor has given a positive update on the Namibian international Shalulile.
WHAT RULANI MOKWENA SAID ABOUT SHALULILE
“Today [Tuesday], I saw a much better Lucas,” Mokwena told Robert Marawa on Radio 947. “I saw a much better [Bathusi] Aubaas. And I saw a much better Peter Shalulile. I saw a much better Sipho Mbule.
“Even though there are no guarantees yet because we’ve got quite a few training sessions. For the mere fact they are on stage three, leading into the stage where they will work with the conditioning coaches to try to assess and test their level from a conditioning point of view.
‘What is also important is that we try our best to have our best players on the pitch in their best positions.”
He went on to hint that Shalulile could be the closest to return to action. Mokwena said if it wasn’t for travel dynamics, there was a possibility Shalulile could have joined the team in Morocco.
“He was closer to playing in the previous match. The unfortunate situation was that he would need to have travelled after we had left Cairo.
“That would mean he would have arrived on match day minus one. We weren’t 100 per cent sure already whether he would participate in the game.
“Now that we had a medical check today and some good recovery for the boys, I saw him. He looks in a good space like many of the others… hopefully he’s ready.”
TIMELY BOOST
A cautious Mokwena will monitor the situation until Sunday, but he confirms “there’s a possibility for sure”.
Shalulile’s return would be a timely one for Sundowns, as they face a Wydad side that carries a 2-1 lead from the first leg.
The 30-year-old has scored five goals in all competitions this season after nine appearances, and his return will give the Brazilians a much-needed boost in attack.
The match will be played at the Loftus Stadium in Pretoria on Sunday, 12 November 2023, at 3:00 PM.
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