Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has provided an update on the availability of the veteran midfielder Themba Zwane ahead of the Orlando Pirates clash.
Masandawana will host Pirates at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday in the Betway Premiership with three points at stake. The Brazilians have had a whole week to prepare for the encounter against Pirates after having their midweek match postponed.
Sundowns were in action last weekend in the second leg of the CAF Champions League second preliminary round. The 2016 Champions League winners defeated Remo Stars of Nigeria 7-1 on aggregate over two legs to book a place in the group stages.
On the other hand, Pirates returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Magesi FC in the Carling Knockout Cup quarter-final after being eliminated from the Champions League second preliminary round by Saint Eloi-Lupopo on penalties.
IS THEMBA ZWANE AVAILABLE FOR THE PIRATES CLASH?
With Sundowns and Pirates aiming to produce a mouth-watering clash, Cardoso has revealed that Zwane is still not available for the upcoming match.
The Bafana Bafana international has missed most of the new 2025/26 season after battling a long-term injury.
“You saw him [Themba Zwane] on the training pitch; he was training separately from the group. So he’s still not integrated in the group,” Cardoso said at Chloorkop on Thursday.
“What it means is that he’s still not available for this match, and he’s not in a moment to return to training or to perform. Returning to training and performance means that he will be ready for physical training and recover his conditioning.
“We need to understand that Themba Zwane had an injury and had another one after returning. We really want him to come back to play for Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana. That’s what we’re going to do, be patient enough not not take risks.”
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