Pirates trainer mulls selection
Orlando Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevic is not ruling out the possibility of bringing back Thamsanqa Sangweni for Saturday’s Soweto derby against Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium (kickoff 3.30pm).
Pirates have felt the absence of Sangweni, who has missed the past seven league matches with a knee injury.
Whoever controls the midfield in Saturday’s derby is likely to come out on top and the return of a fit Sangweni would be a huge boost for Pirates.
Sangweni‚ signed from Chippa United to give force and direction in Pirates’s midfield‚ has so far only featured in Bucs’s opening league game‚ a match Pirates won 1-0 against Chippa on August 19.
“We will monitor the state of every player and definitely Sangweni is among those players we’ll consider for this match if he’s fit and ready‚” said Sredojevic‚ who lamented his team’s lack of intensity in their 1-1 draw against Platinum Stars on Wednesday.
“Sangweni is still in the process of returning‚ he’s in contention. We shall see whether a match of this magnitude is the right one to bring him back. But we know he’s a player with a big heart‚ top class and could add value for us in the derby.”
The absence of Sangweni has forced Sredojevic to reshuffle his midfield pairing‚ with captain Thabo Matlaba brought in to play alongside Musa Nyatama in a number of games in which Sangweni has been sidelined.
Sredojevic spoke about his challenge of changing the lineup in almost every match due to injuries in his team.
“We’ve registered enough players so that we have cover in case of injuries like we’ve had in Sangweni’s case.
“It is challenging‚ yes‚ but I can never be a crybaby. We must always look to find the solutions and possibilities in other players.”