African Football League Final: Sundowns Coach Speaks on Shalulile and Ribeiro Ahead of Wydad Cracker

• Peter Shalulile and Lucas Ribeiro missed out on the AFL quarter-final and semi-final matches
• They were also not available for Sundowns in the first leg of the final versus Wydad Casablanca
• Coach Rhulani Mokwena has now provided updates on the injury status of both of his players

Ahead of their African Football League final showdown against Wydad Casablanca, the head coach of Mamelodi Sundowns, Rhulani Mokwena, has provided updates on the availability of Peter Shalulile and Lucas Ribeiro Costa.

The Brazilians had played their last five AFL matches without any of their strikers and there were growing concerns ahead of the second leg of the final.

Forwards, Shalulile and Ribeiro missed both legs of the quarter-final against Petro de Luanda, as well as the two semi-final legs against Al Ahly.

They also missed out on the first leg of the final in Casablanca on Sunday. While Shalulile picked up an ankle injury, Ribeiro has been battling with his knee.

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While the Sundowns boss said both players are now better, he failed to guarantee they would be played in the second leg of the AFL final.

Mokwena told Robert Marawa on Radio 947, via Farpost:

"Today [Tuesday], I saw a much better Lucas. I saw a much better [Bathusi] Aubaas. And I saw a much better Peter Shalulile. I saw a much better Sipho Mbule; even though there are no guarantees yet because we’ve got quite a few training sessions."

The Sundowns coach explained Shalulile and Ribeiro were on 'stage three' - working with the club's conditioning coaches to assess their current fitness levels.

"What is also important is that we try our best to have our best players on the pitch in their best positions," he concluded.

Considering the importance of the Brazilians' next game - a cup final - many fans are hopeful that both the Sundowns superstars will be available to play.

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Shalulile closes in on PSL record

Sports Brief also reported on former Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs forward, Siyabonga Nomvethe slamming South African strikers.

The legend holds a sterling PSL record of 123 goals, having featured for Pirates, African Wanderers, Moroka Swallows, and AmaZulu.

However, Namibian superstar Peter Shalulile is closing in on Nomvethe's record after netting 109 goals in the South African top flight league.