Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has provided a major update on the return to action of midfield craftsman Themba Zwane, who has been out action due to injury.
Zwane suffered an Achilles tendon injury during an AFCON qualifying match against Congo-Brazzaville in October 2024.
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However, recent training footage revealed that he has been involved in first-team training, and furthermore, was among the players training with the rest of the team on Monday morning ahead of the CAF Champions League quarterfinal clash against Esperance.
Speaking to journalists at the club media open day on Monday, Cardoso revealed that although the veteran has returned to training, he is not yet ready for a competitive match.
"Regarding the players that are still out of the group, Themba is almost there. But he's still not in a condition to participate in this match and not even in the second one," Cardoso said.
"Now we're going to prepare to give them a stimulus of the game, not official games, because they should not participate in an official game before they have had the chance to play in a friendly."
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The Brazilians host Esperance at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in the first leg on Tuesday.
Kick-off is at 15:00.