Peter Shalulile set for late fitness test ahead of Orlando Pirates test

The Namibian international has been out of action after going under the knife two months ago, but Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena confirmed that the reigning PSL Footballer of the Year will undergo a late fitness test ahead of Friday afternoon’s tie (kick-off at 15:30).

Mokwena says Shalulile is back at training and is in high spirits ahead of the resumption of domestic action after the recent FIFA World Cup break, while providing an update on others in the medical treatment room.

"Peter is not out and not available, he is training and we will assess and see. But Peter is on the pitch and we will wait for the medical green light," the coach told the media on Wednesday.

"We have long-term situation with Abdel [Boutouil Abdelmounaim], who's undergone surgery, with Terrence [Mashego], who's undergone surgery, so those are the long-term ones.

"Lebo [Maboe] relapsed on the knee that underwent surgery, so he's gone a couple of weeks back [in recovery], so not as long-term as Abdel and Terrence.

"And unavailable for selection would be Aubrey Modiba because of suspension, and the rest of the squad is on the green grass, which means they should be available, possibly, for Pirates."

The Brazilians are at the top of the Premiership log table with 28 points from 12 matches, and Mokwena hopes the two-month break from competitive action will not disrupt their momentum.

"Breaks are always very difficult to judge, up until you have the performances on the pitch and that's what I always say to you guys [media], and sometimes people think I'm speaking in a modest way a little bit," he added.

"But I say, and maybe the sooner South Africa realises this the better, the game of football belongs to the players. People that put the product on the pitch is the players, so we will see what the players put on the pitch on Friday.

"We are hopeful that the work we've done is good enough to be able to give us, one – a very good performance because we know we don't have a chance against a team like Pirates to win if we do not play well, and two – we want to play well and win.

"What we can focus on is the preparation, and i think we have done a very good job to try to assist the players prepare very well and make sure we can give a good enough performance for us to win."

By Charles Baloyi