Cape Town — Rampant Mamelodi Sundowns will ditch their player rotation exercise for Saturday’s DStv Premiership show-stopper against red-hot Orlando Pirates in Soweto.
Sundowns regulars Ronwen Williams and Teboho Mokoena are likely to return to the starting line-up at the Orlando Stadium (3.30pm kick-off) after sitting out of Saturday’s tie against Sekhukhune United.
Even if Sundowns lose on Saturday, the outcome is unlikely to affect the destination of this season’s league crown since the Brazilians are runaway log leaders with a lead of 21 points.
Given their huge squad, Masandawana have the added burden of keeping all their players match-ready and fit – hence the need for rotation.
Sundowns have just emerged from a massive workload which saw them play seven games in 24 days.
Coach Rulani Mokwena said as a result of recovery processes and travel, it was not possible to train on occasion.
After the Pirates clash, Sundowns have two matches in the space of five days.
Team selection will therefore be crucial, starting with Saturday’s Soweto clash followed by a Nedbank Cup clash on Wednesday and a CAF Champions League match in Pretoria four days later.
The highly-experienced Ugandan goalkeeper Denis Onyango has donned the jersey for the past two games while Williams, the team’s first-choice keeper, was sitting in the stands.
Zambian shot-stopper Kennedy Mweene was on the bench for those matches.
Bringing Williams back will prove a huge boost for Sundowns. He has fitted into the team well and has been used as an option to start attacks when distributing the ball to in-field players who are unmarked.
In 18 league appearances, Williams has managed 13 clean sheets. He has been a major part of the team’s 14-game unbeaten run in the league.
Williams’ former SuperSport United teammate Mokoena has also been rested of late. He has been one of their star players this season, and is highly-rated by his coach, who feels he ranks as the best midfielder in Africa.
While Williams and Mokoena might be the first names the Sundowns mentor will jot down when choosing his side, there is one player that selects himself – 21-year-old academy product Cassius Mailula.
After only 10 league matches, Mailula has captured the imagination big time and scored six goals and produced three assists during that time.
Meanwhile, news from the Pirates camp is that the signing of Cameroonian striker Souaibou Marou has been completed, and the technical staff feel he’ll be ready to face Sundowns.
Many Pirates players have been in excellent form of late, and their Spanish coach Jose Riveiro will battle to find a starting slot for him.
Marou, who has been capped three times for Cameroon, played for Coton Sport in last season’s CAF Champions League. Last season, he won the Cameroonian best player award.
More news coming out of the Pirates camp is that AmaZulu midfielder and captain Makhehleni Makhaula has joined the Buccaneers with immediate effect.
This comes after speculation in recent weeks that the Randfontein-born midfielder is headed for the Soweto giants on a permanent deal.
Yesterday, AmaZulu announced: “AmaZulu Football Club have reached an agreement with Orlando Pirates for the release of club captain and midfielder, Makhehleni Makhaula, which takes effect in the current transfer window.”
IOL Sport