Sundowns backed to overcome Mokoena, Modiba setbacks in MTN8 final

Mamelodi Sundowns icon Surprise Moriri believes his ex-club can cope with the absence of three key players who have been injured while on international duty.

Sundowns have been hit with a triple injury scare ahead of their high-stakes MTN8 final against Orlando Pirates, following a bruising international window for Bafana Bafana.

Key midfield general Teboho Mokoena and versatile campaigner Aubrey Modiba both sustained injuries during South Africa’s 2-1 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying victory against Guinea. The duo subsequently sat out the national team’s dominant 5-0 triumph over Eritrea in Cairo.

Sundowns icon not worried over injured duo

Sundowns’ tactical preparations suffered another blow on Wednesday when Bathusi Aubaas was forced off after only 12 minutes against Eritrea, compounding head coach Miguel Cardoso’s midfield concerns ahead of the October 10 showdown at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Despite the mounting selection headaches, Moriri believes the Brazilians possess sufficient quality and resilience to weather the storm if key starters are ruled out.

While acknowledging the influence of Mokoena and Modiba, Moriri emphasised the collective strength of the squad.

“You are talking about starters, whether they are at Bafana or Sundowns,” Moriri told FARPost. “But they have a lot of players, and some have to jump in. You also look at last week after Aubrey went out, [Samukele] Kabini came in and scored a brilliant goal Missing non optional nsn_team1_id parameter.
Missing non optional nsn_team2_id parameter.. So we have players who can come in, because that is why we are a team.”

Moriri hopes Mokoena, Modiba are available

Moriri also reiterated his hope that the duo will bounce back quickly to bolster Sundowns’ title aspirations: “I wish them a speedy recovery because we also need them for the MTN8 final.”

Mokoena and Modiba remain in camp in Cairo as Bafana Bafana prepare for an international friendly against Egypt on Sunday, October 4. While national team head coach Pitso Mosimane suggested the pair could feature, their readiness remains in doubt.

Sundowns’ medical staff are set to conduct thorough evaluations once the players return to Chloorkop, alongside assessing the extent of Aubaas’ setback.