Pitso Mosimane: Mamelodi Sundowns will struggle without Percy Tau and Khama Billiat

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane is under no illusions regarding the void left by Khama Billiat and Percy Tau’s impending move.

Billiat left the club after refusing to sign a new contract at Sundowns and subsequently joined Kaizer Chiefs, while Tau is edging closer to a move abroad.

Nonetheless, Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has been left to pick up the pieces.

Masandawana are set to resume their Caf Champions League campaign next week against Togo-Port, and the 53-year-old tactician admits that it won’t be easy to tackle the new season head on without some of his star players.  

"You can't say you won't struggle without them," Mosimane told SowetanLive.

"The reality is we will lose some momentum. We have lost two important players and that will cause a challenge," a wary Mosimane admitted.

"Percy is the one that will be hard to replace. Khama - we've played without him. He played about 12 games for us last season [it's actually 16]. He was forever injured. But let's be honest, he was effective in the few games he played. Every time he came in he made a big impact, so you can't really say we won't miss him,” he added.

Sundowns though, will now count on the likes of Sibusiso Vilakazi and perhaps Jeremy Brockie to step up to the plate.

"The good thing is we have Vila [Sibusiso Vilakazi] to fill that number 10 role. The problem is at number nine, where Percy was playing,” he said.

"Someone else has to step up. Brockie, [Thokozani] Sekotlong, [Cuthbert] Malajila - all these guys have to raise their hand and claim that number nine spot," he added.

Meanwhile, Mosimane is concerned that their preparations for the upcoming encounter may not have been adequate due to the off-season break.

“We had to take a break even though we have a Champions League match next week [against Togo-Port]. I haven't had enough time to work on the combinations," he concluded.