Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena is playing his cards close to his chest as to whether or not Thembinkosi Lorch will start against Orlando Pirates.
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The two powerhouses of South African football will face off at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday night.
Kick-off is at 20:00.
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Now, there is a huge interest in the match, especially around Lorch who recently left the Buccaneers for the Brazilians.
Lorch spent nearly a decade at Pirates, and he’s regarded as one of the club’s finest talents in recent years. His move to Sundowns broke the hearts of many Bucs supporters.
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Mokwena said Lorch is training like any other player at Sundowns, and that he will have to earn his place in the team with his performances at training.
RHULANI CAN’T TELL IF LORCH WILL START AGAINT FORMER CLUB PIRATES
“He’s (Lorch) training with the team like all the other players and he’s looking okay and there is still a lot of work to be done from a physical perspective,” said Mokwena on Radio2000 as per Citizen.
“His performances will speak for themselves and he knows that. He’s got the responsibility like a lot of players and at Sundowns meritocracy is very important. Lorch has to work hard like everyone else to earn his place in the team and merit a start.”
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LORCH STANDS A GOOD CHANCE OF PLAYING AGAINST BUCS
While Mokwena was coy in his response regarding Lorch’s possible start against Pirates, the truth is that he stands a very good chance.
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And that’s because Sundowns have been without 10 of their players who were with Bafana Bafana, and are only expected in the country on Wednesday.
The 10 players are likely to be given some time off to recuperate, and that could see Mokwena use Lorch in attack in place of the likes of Themba Zwane and Thapelo Morena.
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