Where were Makgopa & Mabasa against Polokwane in MTN8? Ouaddou responds

Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou started his journey at Orlando Pirates on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Polokwane City in the MTN8 quarter-final.

New signing Oswin Appollis was on target alongside Patrick Maswanganyi as the defending champions advanced to set a date with Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-final. Masandawana made it to the semi-final after beating Richards Bay 4-0 on Sunday.

One of the notable changes from the former Marumo Gallants tactician was trusting Boitumelo Radiopane to lead the attack, with Yanela Mbuthuma coming in later. It was a massive statement from the tactician, considering the fact that Evidence Makgopa and Tshegofatso Mabasa were ready to be involved.

Last season, Makgopa played 39 games across all competitions with a return of 10 goals, while Mabasa responded with 15 strikes in 48 outings for the club.

‘It will be important for Pirates to play with freshness’ 

Ouaddou concedes he has enough depth at the club, hinting all the players will have to fight for their positions. He has further explained why the two established strikers were not involved against Rise and Shine.

“Makgopa and Mabasa are very important players for me. You have to understand that this season we have a big squad,” the 46-year-old told the media.

“It will be very important to play with freshness because Orlando Pirates will play in many competitions. So we win the matches with the starting 11, but we win competitions as a group. So these players you mention played [ a friendly] in the morning on Saturday, and their contribution will be important,” he concluded.

Pirates start their 2025/26 Premier Soccer League on Saturday against Sekhukhune United at the Orlando Stadium.