Pitso Mosimane admits he’s thrilled to have his captain Mohamed El-Shenaway and Bafana Bafana star Percy Tau return ahead of the Mamelodi Sundowns clash.
Both were absent from their FIFA Club World Cup campaign in which they claimed a consecutive bronze medal with their inspirational goalkeeper injured during the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt.
Despite Tau having returned for full training this week, Mosimane suggested that he won’t feature for the full duration of the CAF Champions League Group A encounter against his former club.
“I am very happy to have El Shenawy and Tau back to the team. Tau is not fully fit but he can play for a few minutes. We missed more than seven starters and now I have two players back,” he said ahead of the game.
Mosimane went on to laud the progression Sundowns has made since he left the club for the Egyptian giants in September 2020, claiming they have done well in the transfer market.
“It is a difficult match for us and we know it will be difficult to get the three points. We played a difficult match in Sudan against Al Hilal given the conditions of the pitch and the high temperature.”
“They are not the same teams [Sundowns and Al Hilal]. Different philosophies and different kinds of football. We saw the match they played against Al Merrikh; they still play good football and smart football.
“They have improved after signing very good players. They are now a much stronger team.”
