Cardoso refuses to risk Sundowns trio ahead of MTN8 final
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says he will not risk Bathusi Aubaas, Aubrey Modiba and Teboho Mokoena if they are not fully fit for Saturday’s MTN8 final against Orlando Pirates.
The three key Sundowns players picked up injuries while on national team duty with Bafana Bafana, leaving their availability for the sold-out showdown at Moses Mabhida Stadium uncertain.
Asked for an update, Cardoso remained cautious, saying the club would assess the players before making any decision.
“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.”
Cardoso revealed that the players had only recently returned to Sundowns and had already been assessed by the medical team.
“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,” he added.
“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.”
For Cardoso, Saturday’s final is important, but Sundowns’ demanding schedule means he cannot afford to gamble with the fitness of his players.
“What is 100% sure is that we cannot risk anything on players, considering that this match on the weekend is very important.”
He pointed to the Champions League, league fixtures and the upcoming Super Cup as further reasons for taking a cautious approach.
“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.”
Cardoso believes losing one of his key players for an extended period would be far more damaging than potentially missing one match.
“So, losing one player for five matches in a club like ours is dramatic,” he said.
The Portuguese coach says the final decision will depend entirely on their recovery.
“So, we will have to see if they are fully recovered or just on those conditions, they will be able to play.”
For now, Sundowns supporters will have to wait to discover whether Aubaas, Modiba and Mokoena will be cleared to face Pirates in what promises to be a fiercely contested MTN8 final.
