Erwin Saavedra Still Out of Action With Injury, Gaston Sirino Returns to Training for Mamelodi Sundowns

• Mamelodi Sundowns have provided an update on the injury statuses of their South American players
• Erwin Saavedra and Gaston Sirino were both injured during CAF Champions League encounters in February
• South America's Erwin Saavedra and Gaston Sirino have yet to feature for Mamelodi Sundowns since their injury

Mamelodi Sundowns have had mixed fortunes with their South American superstars this season, and are hoping for better times ahead as the season nears its climax.

Uruguay’s Gaston Sirino was injured during a CAF Champions League game against Al Hilal in February, while Bolivia’s Erwin Saavedra was injured the following week against Al Merrikh. That game was also a CAF Champions League encounter.

Both players have yet to feature for Masandawana since. Co-coach, Rulani Mokwena, has since provided an update on Saavedra and Sirino’s injury statuses.

Speaking to Soccer Laduma, Mokwena noted that Saavedra has been out of action for much longer than was originally expected. Mokwena added that the player picked up another knock while he was recovering from his first injury. At this stage, Sundowns cannot confirm when the player will be able to return.

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"Erwin Saavedra is making good progress. We are also happy with that. We had anticipated a shorter layoff from the injury. The layoff has been a little bit longer than what we anticipated, which is a little bit of a disappointment,” Mokwena said.

He added that they didn’t want to rush his injury in case it created bigger problems later on.

On Gaston Sirino, Mokwena confirmed that the player was back in training. Much like Saavedra, Sirino also suffered a secondary injury while recovering from his first knock. While he has returned to training, he remains a doubt for this weekend’s CAF Champions League clash.

Sundowns host Al Merrikh at the FNB Stadium and are handing out free tickets to fans to watch the game live, Times LIVE reported.

While entrance is free, fans still need to have a match ticket, which are available before Saturday's match-day at Sundowns supporters branches, club roadshows and activations and Ticket Pro outlets.

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Mamelodi Sundowns reward fans returning to stadiums, give away free tickets to CAF Champions League game

Football fans are still celebrating the news that supporters can finally return to stadiums after two years. Football games in the country were played without fans in attendance due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but are now allowed to have fans filling 50% capacity of the stadiums.

Mamelodi Sundowns are the first South African team to play a home game following the announcement, as they host Al Merrikh in a CAF Champions League encounter. Sundowns will host the Sudanese side at the FNB Stadium on Saturday, 2 April.

With Sundowns already having qualified for the quarter-final stage, the club have decided to reward their fans, The South African reported. Sundowns top Group A and cannot be dethroned from the top spot, Sports Brief earlier noted.