Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has provided an injury update on the experienced striker Lebo Mothiba.
The Portuguese mentor addressed Mothiba’s unavailability following Sundowns’ 2-0 win over AmaZulu FC in the Betway Premiership at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday night.
Masandawana registered their first victory of the season in the league after dropping points in the first match of the season. Sundowns played to a 1-1 draw against Chippa United last weekend.
The Brazilians have been missing a few of their key players from last season. Lucas Ribeiro Costa and Khuliso Mudau are the notable absentees as they are linked with moves away from the club.
In anticipation of the MTN8 semi-final first-leg against Orlando Pirates on Saturday, the Sundowns coach is hopeful of having a full squad. He confirmed that Mothiba is in the final stages of his injury rehabilitation and is expected to be match-fit within the next few weeks.
The 29-year-old joined Sundowns on a free transfer in March 2025 after parting ways with French Ligue 1 side RSC Strasbourg in July 2024.
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Since joining Sundowns, Mothiba has made a limited contribution on the pitch, featuring in three matches across all competitions, scoring one goal in the FIFA World Cup.
After missing the Sundowns MTN8 quarter-final match and two games in the league, the Bafana Bafana international will be itching to return to competitive action.
“Mothiba is almost ready, but not yet ready. He’s starting to train normally with the team, and we expect him in one week to be able to play,” Cardoso said.
“Then it’s up to us to manage the game-time progressively, so that he can make his return to competition in the right way.
“As you know, when we speak about recovery, he needs to recover from injury, then back to competition, but he needs to be able to perform on the pitch, and we are going to put him in when we feel that he can help the team.”
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