Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says he hopes the exacting schedule for his club over the next month does not result in key South African international players being injured ahead of the World Cup.
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Cardoso has been consistently complaining about his side’s fixture schedule and trying to get the Premier Soccer League to postpone domestic games to leave Sundowns more time to prepare for their African Champions League assignments.
Sundowns play in the two-legged final against Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces next month but before that have four league fixtures with back-to-back matches against Polokwane City away on Wednesday and home on Sunday, followed by home to Kaizer Chiefs on Wednesday, 6 May, and Siwelele on 9 May.
At Cardoso’s previous club, Esperance of Tunisia, plus in other North African countries, local fixtures are often postponed, allowing clubs more preparatory time for continental club competition encounters but leaving the domestic league to run over sometimes by several months.
Sundowns have seen Colombian import Brayan Leon and Portuguese signing Nuno Santos both miss recent matches through injury, and Arthur Sales hurt his shoulder on Sunday in the Betway Premiership draw at Richards Bay.
“What has happened with the injuries is exactly what I spoke about several months ago regarding the schedule that we have been put through. A team that has to play Champions League up to the end in a country where you have competitions one after the other just to please everybody,” Cardoso moaned.
“At this moment of the season, we should be in the top condition to perform, but Brian got injured and Nuno is not still recovered. Now we have lost Arthur.
“But it's time for the other ones to show up rather than for us to complain,” he added.
“Obviously, it's not good. Let's hope Bafana Bafana will not lose players throughout and have big losses for the World Cup because that's what I expect in the next weeks, because it's normal (to pick up injuries) when the teams have to play every three days or seven matches in 21 days.
“What we can expect before the end of the season is just injuries, nothing more.”
Sundowns, who have some 11 players in contention for South Africa’s World Cup squad, face Royal Armed Forces in the Champions League final on Friday, 15 May, in Pretoria with the return leg in Rabat on 24 May.