Former Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana believes that the team will need Teboho Mokoena in the second leg of the CAF Champions League semi-final against Espérance Sportive de Tunis after he missed the first leg.
Mokoena sat out of the first leg, won 1-0 by Esperance, after suffering an injury in a DStv Premiership fixture against Moroka Swallows, and while Rulani Mokwena suggested he could have played in Tunisia, they erred on the side of caution.
Kekana, who famously captained Sundowns to their only previous CAFCL title in 2016, believes that with the form that Mokoena has been in this past year, he was certainly missed, and told iDiski Times‘ Rob Delport that his return could be critical for the team’s chances to progress.
“With the form that he’s in and the season that he is having, of course, you’re gonna miss a player like Teboho,” Kekana tells iDiski Times.
“And fairly so, because he has done so much for himself and for the club this year already. That tells you that he has made himself that part of the team and he’s a player that you can rely on in big matches.
“Fortunately for me, I love players like that who make sure that they make themselves very important for the team for the coach to rely on, and Robbie, we always speak about consistency in our league, and the kid shows that he wants to be among the best players that have ever come out of South Africa, simply because of the performance and how he pushes himself.
“Ja, of course it was a big blow for him not playing [in the first leg], particularly in the form that he is in now.
“So of course the team will need him more and they needed him more at Esperance.
“Of course, make no mistake about the players that played there, they did so well and I say so well because I didn’t see Esperance threatening Mamelodi Sundowns, even if they can play for two days I still believe Sundowns were the better team on the day!”