Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has addressed the potential return of midfielder Themba Zwane ahead of their highly-anticipated CAF Champions League clash against Al Ahly.
Zwane has been sidelined for most of the 2024/25 Betway Premiership season after sustaining an Achilles injury during Bafana Bafana‘s 2025 AFCON qualifiers match against Congo Brazzaville in October 2024.
The highly-rated attacker has only played five matches for Sundowns in all competitions and provided one assist. In the past seasons, Zwane has been an integral part of the Sundowns’ success as they won seven league titles in a row.
The Tembisa-born star is instrumental for Downs in attack, using his creativity to provide assists and score goals. As the season nears its end, Sundowns fans have been itching for Zwane’s return to fight for the Betway Premiership and CAF Champions League titles.
WHAT CARDOSO SAID ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF ZWANE FACING AL AHLY
As Sundowns gear up to face Al Ahly at Loftus Versfeld Stadium this Saturday in the Champions League semi-final, coach Miguel Cardoso has announced that the experienced midfielder is back in contention for selection. Having recently recovered from his injury, Zwane has been participating in training sessions and friendly matches. However Cardoso remains uncertain about the exact timing of his return to competitive football.
In spite of that, there’s a bright spot for Sundowns supporters. The club announced on Friday that the influential playmaker has signed a contract extension, securing his future with the team beyond the current 2024/25 season.
“Themba is in his conditioning. I told you [media] that we have plans to bring back the players that were injured, but Zwane is not injured now,” Cardoso said.
“He’s training normally and being developed in his condition so that he can play. Whether he’s going to play the next game or the following one, I don’t know exactly.
“But for sure, he still has some restrictions on playing 90 minutes of matches in the Champions League. Let’s see how he can help us, and let’s see how we can introduce him to the line-up of the team in the best way.
“That’s what we have been doing in the last weeks. We are happy to have him, not only him but also Mothobi Mvala. I believe that before the end of the season, they’ll still be important for us.”
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