Two stars in danger! Mamelodi Sundowns face major injury blow ahead of CAF Super Cup final
Miguel Cardoso is unwilling to gamble with his players' fitness, even with a continental trophy on the line.
Details: Mamelodi Sundowns could be without two of their biggest stars for Sunday's CAF Super Cup final against USM Alger. Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams and midfielder Teboho Mokoena remain injury doubts ahead of the November 8 showdown at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. Both players missed the club's recent Carling Knockout Cup matches and the league victory over Durban City.
Speaking to the media after Sundowns' victory over Golden Arrows, Cardoso made it clear that protecting his players' health remains his priority.
“Look, we cannot risk the health of a player. That’s our goal here, to protect the players and the health of the players. Let’s see how things will progress. Obviously, we would like to have them ready for the biggest matches,” Cardoso explained.
The Portuguese coach then addressed Mokoena's recurring injury problems, revealing that the midfielder had returned from international duty in poor physical condition.
“I think that we have players who are doing well in those possessions and we trust. We had a big setback with Teboho as understood. He did not come in close to being in good condition from the national team. He came injured and it was important that we could play in that final of the MTN8, but then (there was) an unfortunate action against Wiliete, where he was standing on one leg and he had contact and, of course, there was a small thing on the leg.
“But then again, it’s the second time. Same leg, same thing. Let’s see. A lot of work has been done on him. I think his mood is okay. His capacity to play, let’s see,” Cardoso continued.
The situation surrounding Williams is somewhat less concerning, although the goalkeeper has also been struggling with his fitness.
“Ronza is a similar process. It’s not a big injury, it’s more pathology. He has also been struggling, and we are doing our best to have him in proper condition because we need to protect these players. I think with a little bit of time, everything will be okay.”
It's worth noting that Mamelodi Sundowns won the CAF Super Cup in 2017, while USM Alger lifted the trophy in 2023. According to CAF, the winner of Sunday's final will receive $500,000 in prize money.
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Steven Perez
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