Cardoso waits on late fitness verdicts for Sundowns trio before MTN8 final

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says late medical assessments will determine whether Aubrey Modiba, Bathusi Aubaas and Teboho Mokoena can play in Saturday’s MTN8 final against Orlando Pirates.

The three Bafana Bafana internationals picked up injuries during the national team’s recent fixtures, which included victories over Guinea and Eritrea in the Afcon qualifiers and an international friendly against Egypt.

All three were important members of the Bafana squad and hold similarly significant roles at Sundowns. Modiba is the club’s first-choice left-back, while Mokoena and Aubaas are the leading two options in central midfield.

Although the trio trained with the rest of the Sundowns squad at the club’s Chloorkop base on Wednesday morning, their participation did not guarantee they would be ready for the final against Pirates.

The match will be played at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night, with kick-off at 6pm. Pirates are aiming to extend their record run of four consecutive MTN8 titles.

“I want you to understand that I will never put in a player to play unless he’s 100% fit. Yesterday (Tuesday), we had the first evaluation on the players; they were seen by doctors,” Cardoso said.

“Today (Wednesday), we will have a better opportunity to check them. I believe those cases will be (like that) until the last minute.

“I believe that we can’t take risks, especially on muscle injuries like the one that Aubrey (Modiba) and (Bathusi) Aubaas had. We can’t risk it by having the players in – just in case they are not ready. I am not saying they are not.

“There are signs that the evolution was pretty good. They were, especially, not diagnosed with major injuries.”

Mokoena decision could come late

Mokoena was seen training separately before Bafana’s final match against Egypt, but Cardoso remains hopeful that the midfielder will recover in time.

The Sundowns manager said, however, that the decision would be based not only on the weekend’s cup final but also on the possible effect of playing on the remainder of the campaign.

“Teboho is also progressing. But let’s see – that will be a last minute decision,” he said.

“We don’t have to only think about this game, but what impact will this game have for the rest of the season. That’s obviously where I have to stand to make my own decision.”

Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane had already considered the players’ workload before the MTN8 final, explaining why minutes were managed during the international window and why some key players from both Sundowns and Pirates were rested.

Cardoso said before the national-team camp that he fully supported Bafana, but insisted club and international matters should remain separate.

“As I said from the beginning, I support the national team coach and players when they are at work. You’ll never hear me commenting on the words of the national team coach. He’s the one that has to speak on his platform. I will speak on mine. That will ensure that nothing is ever, ever misunderstood,” Cardoso said.