Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi has given a picture of the current situation in their camp ahead of Saturday’s Nedbank Cup final against Marumo Gallants.
A flu outbreak has ravaged Chloorkop and adding to injuries, they missed 17 players during their last Premier Soccer League match against Royal AM on Monday.
The Brazilians have been hit by a flu outbreak and they risk being heavily depleted again for Saturday’s crucial match.
“At this stage we’re not yet 100% sure, but already on matchday against Royal AM a lot of players were showing signs that they are recovering,” said Mngqithi as per iDiski Times.
“Yesterday [Tuesday], I met a few who were coming here for the shoot. One or two of them were not looking very good but one hopes that when we get the doctor's update just before training this afternoon, we will be able to understand exactly what we’ll have [available] for the weekend.”
Some of the key players affected included Themba Zwane, Andile Jali, Bradley Ralani and Rushine de Reuck but they managed to post a victory.
Mngqithi has also found time to take stock of their season which they will wrap up on Saturday.
The coach is not happy about how things worked out in defence and they are rumoured to be in the market for a centre-back.
Since his return from a long term injury, defender Mosa Lebusa has found it difficult to consistently play.
On Monday he was on the bench and left-back Divine Lunga was preferred to play in central defence.
“There are many areas that we still need to improve on. We conceded some silly goals this year and we have to improve on that,” Mngqithi said.
“We’ve done fairly well in our standards, but we believe Sundowns can do better than that. And it is very important to keep something on the neck at the end, that’s what motivates them.
"So when you begin with the end in your mind, everybody understands that you are fighting for one thing and you are clear in your mind that you are not playing for fun.
“You are playing to win trophies and that culture is growing big now and everybody understands how important it is.”
After missing out on the Caf Champions League title, Sundowns are now gunning for a domestic treble, having already bagged the PSL crown and the MTN8.
