Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has confirmed that Olisa Ndah is close to a return, while Deano Van Rooyen will definitely miss the MTN8 semi-final second leg against Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Buccaneers face Sundowns at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday, having to overcome a 1-1 first-leg draw with the hosts carrying the away goal into the second leg.
Ndah has been pictured in training, but is yet to feature in a match-day squad this season, with Ouaddou confirming the Nigeria centre-back is close to making the team.
“About Olisa Ndah, he’s training, he’s coming back, things are going well,” he stated on Thursday.
“Hopefully in a few days he will be back with us in the group.”
Meanwhile, Van Rooyen will definitely miss the MTN8 semi-final second leg after picking up an injury in Pirates’ 1-0 win over Stellenbosch FC, despite the medical department still assessing the seriousness of the injury.
“We have an idea, but we don’t have definitive feedback from the medical department,” Ouaddou added.
“What I can tell you, he will not be available [against Sundowns]. But we don’t know exactly what he has because he still needs to pass some examinations to go deep and to know the time of his injury.”
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