Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has explained why Evidence Makgopa missed the club’s Betway Premiership match against Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday.
Makgopa was omitted from the matchday squad during the Pirates’ 2-1 defeat to Sundowns at FNB Stadium in a top-of-the-table clash.
The Bafana Bafana striker watched the match from the stands as Yanela Mbuthuma was given the nod to lead the attack in a crucial league game against the defending champions.
In the current campaign, Makgopa, alongside Mbuthuma, has been preferred by Ouaddou to share the scoring burden as the club aims to challenge for all trophies on offer.
The Buccaneers are chasing the Nedbank Cup and Betway Premiership title, having already won the MTN8 and Carling Knockout Cup trophy in the first round of the 2025/26 season.
WHAT OUADDOU SAID ABOUT MAKGOPA’S ABSENCE
Meanwhile, Makgopa has made 21 appearances across all competitions for Pirates this season, scoring four goals and providing three assists.
Having established himself as a regular starter at the Soweto giants, Makgopa was a notable absentee against Sundowns. His coach, Abdeslam Ouaddou, has clarified why the former Baroka FC forward played no part in a disappointing defeat to Masandawana.
“First of all, I have to specify that Makgopa could not be in the team yesterday [Wednesday] because he was injured, you know, so he could not be in the team,” Ouaddou said.
“But of course, [the striking department] is an area of concern for me. If you have followed my previous press conferences in the last few months, I think we can see that it’s an area that we need to be efficient because it’s the reality of football. When we want to be more ambitious, we need to be clinical. Of course, we keep working, we don’t stop working, but you have to understand as well that we have a young team, young strikers, and we need to be patient with them.”
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