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Mosimane: Playing before Pirates both advantage, disadvantage

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Hlompho Kekana of Mamelodi Sundowns celebrates victory with teammates during the 2020 Nedbank Cup Semifinals match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Bidvest Wits
  • Post published:August 11, 2020

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane believes despite his team’s small advantage of having already played since the Covid-19 lockdown, Pirates have the advantage of being well rested ahead of their blockbuster clash on Tuesday.

The Brazilians returned to action with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Bidvest Wits in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals this past weekend. While they secured progression to the final it may have come at a cost with a number of the Downs players struggling with injuries by the end of the game.

Pirates, though, have not played since the coronavirus pandemic halted fixtures in March and will be looking to avoid defeat when they take on Sundowns on Tuesday evening.

Mosimane believes that having played before the Soweto giants can be both an advantage and disadvantage.

‘It is tough and difficult. Yes, we have a little bit of information ahead of Orlando Pirates, we can say a little of advantage but I don’t know how many times I asked the bench and I asked the officials: “Do I still have a substitute to make?”,’ Mosimane told the media.

‘It is confusing, the half time does not count as a substitute and I kept asking Lux [Luxolo September] all the time. So, it is difficult, it is not easy. It is going to be tough.

‘We are playing a team that is resting and watching tonight [Saturday] when we had people who got hamstrings. But they will have their own chance, everybody’s coming.

‘Advantage because we have played, a disadvantage because we are playing a well-rested team because we don’t have the legs until Tuesday – so, ice baths and let’s see how it goes.

‘Big game on Tuesday, but it is not the same as you have seen before.

‘Football within Covid-19, we know it now, we can now comment on it but if you haven’t played you can’t talk because if you haven’t suffered a muscle injury, you don’t understand,’ he added.

‘First 15 minutes today [Saturday] Celtic [Bloemfontein] had a player pull a hamstring, ask Dylan Kerr [Baroka coach] if that is his team he saw. It is not the same.

‘So, no one knows and you can’t comment until you have been in it. So, only four teams can talk about football within Covid-19 and they are the teams who have played. So, those who haven’t, can’t comment – they must comment after,’ he concluded.