Keepers hold the aces
Phali insists that Jackson’s a safe bet for Pirates
Ex-Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Avril Phali feels Jackson Mabokgwane should get the nod in goal for Bucs, ahead of Wayne Sandilands, Siyabonga Mpontshane and Brilliant Khuzwayo, in the eagerly anticipated Soweto derby against Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium on Saturday (3.30pm).
“I think Mabokgwane must start the derby because he played the last one [a 2-1 win in the Telkom Knockout semifinal last November]. This is a big match [and] Pirates must not gamble by playing Sandilands,” Phali said. Having last played in the first league match of the season where his blunder saw Pirates draw 1-1 with Highlands Park in August last year, Sandilands made a surprise return to the starting XI in Bucs’s goalless draw against Tunisian giants Esperance in the CAF Champions League last Saturday.
“Sandilands is not ready for the derby. Before he played against Esperance, it was Mabokgwane who was starting. I also do not mind Mpontshane starting… but my first choice is Mabokgwane,” insisted the 40-year-old Phali, who now serves as Jomo Cosmos’s goalkeeper coach. Mpontshane has seen the most game time this season, starting 17 matches. But since his unconvincing display in the TKO final, where they lost to Baroka in December, he has been playing second fiddle to Mabogkwane, who has 10 games under his belt. Meanwhile, since recovering from a strange ankle injury late last year, Khuzwayo has been readying himself for first-team action by playing in the reserve league). Intriguingly, some have predicted that Khuzwayo will make his Pirates debut against his former club, come Saturday.
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Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Kabelo Mahlasela could be in for a gruelling Soweto derby duel with his former teammate Alfred Ndengane.
The pair were brothers in arms at Bloemfontein Celtic for three seasons between 2015 and 2018.
Both players left Celtic last year, with Mahlasela having joined Chiefs in January while Ndengane joined Orlando Pirates in October.
On Saturday at the FNB Stadium (3.30pm), the diminutive Mahlasela could be in for tough afternoon at work against the imposing Ndengane.
“Yes, I played with Alfred at Cletic. I know him very well and I think he has done well there. It won’t be easy but we will be ready for them,” said Mahlasela. The 27year-old had an inauspicious start to his career at Naturena after suffering a knee injury in his first week of training.
The Sebokeng-born attacker eventually made his debut for the team eight months after his signing in the 3-1 league loss to Bidvest Wits in August.
Having briefly played under current coach Ernst Middendorp, at Celtic in 2015, Mahlasela believes the German can bring out the best in him.
“He [Ernst] understands me and the way I play,” he said.
“I strongly believe I can do much better in the number 10 position. I am a player who likes to take on defenders, to create opportunities and score goals.”
On snapping their 11 match winless run in the derby, he added: “The derby is a very different game and is more about mental strength so it requires focus for 90 minutes. I am confident that we will do better.”