Orlando Pirates have provided an update on squad readiness ahead of the much-anticipated match against Mamelodi Sundowns.
Pirates are scheduled to make their return to competitive action with a match against the defending champions at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night.
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In their last two matches before the Africa Cup of Nations break, the Buccaneers suffered successive defeats against SuperSport United and Stellenbosch FC respectively, and will want to turn things around in style against arguably the best team in the league.
The Soweto giants have confirmed that Azola Matrose, who struggled with an injury since returning from a loan spell with Chippa United at the end of last season, is fully fit and ready for his debut.
Another player expected to make coach Jose Riveiro’s match day squad is goalkeeper Sipho Chaine who was disrupted on his progress by injury.
“Also nearing his first team debut for the Buccaneers is attacking midfielder Azola Matrose, who is fully fit after his spell on the sidelines, while goalkeeper Sipho Chaine is also among those back in full training following an injury layoff,” Pirates confirmed on the club’s official website.
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Meanwhile, Bucs assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi has painted a picture on what the technical team has been working on during the break.
“It’s going to be a very good match between two good teams. We had an opportunity to recover most of our players that have been injured. (We’ve welcomed) new players into the team and integrated young players. This period has given us an opportunity to try and improve our performances to try and get more points and Sundowns is the first game after the break,” said Ncikazi, speaking through Pirates’ media department.
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