Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has confirmed 9 players are ruled out with injury for their upcoming clash against Mpheni Home Defenders in the Nedbank Cup.
Sundowns have come through a gruelling week in which the played four games, which included a shock loss to TS Galaxy on Tuesday in Mbombela.
However, they will remain in high spirits due to the 4-1 thumping of Orlando Pirates in the league last weekend, as they now take on the ABC Motsepe League side from Limpopo.
Sundowns host the Limpopo-based outfit on Sunday afternoon at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium (15h00), but still have several players on the treatement table.
“I can tell you. If we start from the back, we have Mothobi Mvala, we have Rivaldo Coetzee, we have Divine Lunga, we have [Khuliso] Mudau, Zuko [Mdunyelwa].
“Then we have also [Arthur] Sales, who is coming back. We have Keanu [Cupido], who arrived injured – he’s also finishing his recovery process, [Siyabonga] Mabena, Themba [Zwane].
“But most of them are finishing their recovery processes and I think they will help us, let’s hope in the end of the season we can even become more and more stronger because we have big, big challenges ahead.
“As is clear for me now, PSL matches are played on the limit – there is no easy matches.
“We play next PSL match against a team that is second from bottom of the table and we analysed them and say how it’s possible [to beat them], because they’re strong. An interesting team, they play very good football.
“We went to play Magesi and we struggled to win the match in the end of it. So we know how is the level of the competition.
“We also know that playing against Sundowns gives extra energy to everybody. Everybody wants to perform because the lights are on these matches. It makes our work harder, so we need everybody.”
