Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has given an update on the injured Bafana Bafana trio of Teboho Mokoena, Aubrey Modiba and Bathusi Aubaas.
The players were part of the Bafana camp that was successful in the opening rounds of the 2027 PAMOJA Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea last month and also the international friendly match against Egypt.
None of them featured in all three as they sat out some of the matches with injuries. The trio is back at their club in preparation for the 2026 MTN8 final against defending champions Orlando Pirates in Durban on Saturday.
Cardoso told reporters on Wednesday that the trio will be assessed one more time to see if they will be fit for the final however added despite the outcomes of the evaluation no player will be risked.
“What is important to know is, and I said it from the first day, and I will say it again, the players when they go for the national team, they are national team players,” said Cardoso.
“So, we are completely aligned with that, and happy that the boys were there and performed well. Obviously, it’s important that you understand that we will not risk anything on any player. We have many, many, many challenges ahead, and today we’re going to see better how is the condition of the players. Obviously, yesterday they arrived early in the morning, and we assessed them during the day.
“It’s the first contact with the players that the doctors had. Obviously, I had the report yesterday. Let’s wait today see how they react to our first intent of evaluation but mostly put some work with them and from there, we will move.
“What is 100% sure is that we cannot risk anything on players, considering that this match on the weekend is very important. But on Tuesday there’s another one, there’s a qualifying round for the Champions League, there’s championship matches in meanwhile, and then we have also the Super Cup.
“So, losing one player for five matches in a club like ours is dramatic. So, we will have to see if they are fully recovered or just on those conditions, they will be able to play.”