Pitso likely to shuffle his Sundowns pack

THE odds are staked heavily against Mamelodi Sundowns retaining the PSL title and winning the Caf Champions League due to their busy schedule.

While the Brazilians were focused on continental dominance, Orlando Pirates leapfrogged them at the summit of the league standings to go six points clear of the Brazilians having played three games more. Sundowns’ catch-up programme resumes tonight with a clash against SuperSport United in the Tshwane derby at Loftus. They will follow that with a trip to Polokwane to take on Baroka FC on Saturday at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.

Sundowns coach, Pitso Mosimane, is likely to shuffle his team a little, resting some of the players who returned from Egypt on Tuesday after knocking out Al Ahly in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. What should take Sundowns over the finish line in both competitions is the talent of the players who were left behind for the trip in Egypt or watched from the stands or bench at Borg El Arab Stadium as Sundowns protected their 5-0 lead from the first leg to win 5-1 on aggregate.

One of those players is Jeremy Brockie who poked fun of his situation with a witty post on Twitter. The “Sniper” arrived at Sundowns with a lot of fanfare, but his misfiring ways and struggle to adapt to the Brazilians’ style of play saw him transform from a bazooka to a water gun.

On Monday Brockie posted a picture of his pregnant wife with the caption: “What happens when you keep a striker in the stands for too long? He starts scoring more at home.” It was a subtle dig at his situation where he has struggled for game time with Lebohang Maboe leading the Brazilians’ attack and Emiliano Tade preferred as the supporting forward.

The fresh legs of players like Brockie, Aubrey Ngoma and the return of Sibusiso Vilakazi should give Sundowns enough energy in the fight for the league title. Their three games in hand means that they don’t have to rely on any favours to win league title No 9 – they just have to get the job done themselves.

Some players could be fighting for their contracts in the remaining matches, which should spur them on to claim a record ninth championship. The core of the players who will be fighting in the Champions League don’t have much pressure to win the tournament even though Mosimane said he has always believed that his team can be African champions again.