Orlando Pirates will be sweating over the readiness of at least two key players ahead of the Soweto Derby clash against rivals Kaizer Chiefs.
Bucs are hard at work preparing for one of the most monumental fixtures on the African footballing calendar.
They host old foes Chiefs at a sold-out FNB Stadium on Saturday.
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Ahead of that match, though, Pirates are at risk of being without key defenders, in Olisa Ndah and Paseka Mako.
Ndah suffered an injury and a tibia fracture in October last year, which ruled him out of action for the rest of 2024.
Meanwhile, there is little information on the nature of Mako's injury, although it is worth noting that the 30-year-old was not named in the matchday squad that defeated Richards Bay FC in the Last 32 of the Nedbank Cup last weekend.
The duo are making their way back to full match fitness and are in a race against time.
Ndah and Mako did not participate in the team's full training session on Tuesday.
Instead, they were guided through separate light training and it is unlikely they will feature come Saturday.
The news will not concern The Ghost that much much, however, as their side has lost just twice from their 11 Betway Premiership matches and have rarely missed a step since the season began.
Thabiso Sesane and Nkosinathi Sibisi have marshalled the side with distinction from the heart of defence, with the latter having come in for Ndah, who was the preferred starter at the start of 2024/25.
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The Sesane-Sibisi pairing is likely to be trusted by Riveiro once more against Chiefs, with the former Golden Arrows man having missed the cup match owing to suspension.
In the fullback slots, Deon Hotto and newbie Deano Van Rooyen have also made the positions their own, consistently providing solid performances.