Abdeslam Ouaddou answers Tshegofatso Mabasa exclusion question as Orlando Pirates strikers misfire despite MTN8 win over Polokwane City and the PSL loss to Sekhukhune United

Orlando Pirates strikers are yet to score in the two competitive games the club has played so far this season.

When the Buccaneers recently beat Polokwane City 2-0 in the MTN8 quarter-finals, winger Oswin Appollis and attacking midfielder Patrick Maswanganyi were on target.

That was followed by Pirates firing blanks in the 1-0 Premier Soccer League defeat by Sekhukhune United on Saturday.

Boitumelo Radiopane started upfront in both games, while new forward Yanela Mbuthuma came on from the bench as Tshegofatso Mabasa and Evidence Makgopa were frozen out.

The Soweto giants coach Abdeslam Oaddou explains his decision to leave out Mabasa.

“No, like I told you in the previous press conference, Mabasa is available, it’s a choice that we did, but he is ready and when we will call him, I think he will be able to perform and give us the best of him,” Ouaddou said as per iDiski Times.

“Of course, you can maybe ask some questions [about his exclusion] because the strikers that we used didn’t score, so of course I understand your question. But like I said, we have a lot of players this season and everyone will get their chance at the right moment.”

Mabasa is being dropped despite being Pirates' top goal-scorer in the past two seasons, including the term when he was loaned out to Moroka Swallows for half a season.

But with the Radiopane and Mbuthuma so far struggling to find the back of the net, it could be early alarm bells that could force Ouaddou to summon Mabasa to duty.

The Soweto giants will attempt to recover from the Sekhukhune setback when they visit Marumo Gallants at Dr Petrus Molemele Stadium on Tuesday.

Ouaddou might make changes upfront to try and have his side score.