Orlando Pirates: Brilliant Khuzwayo won’t feature in Soweto Derby, says Micho

Orlando Pirates goalkeeper, Brilliant Khuzwayo will have to wait a while longer before making his long-awaited debut for his new club, Milutin Sredojevic confirmed on Thursday.

The 28-year-old was expected to be in the running for a starting place against his old club, Kaizer Chiefs in Saturday’s Soweto Derby, having not yet featured for in first-team football in the colours of the Buccaneers.

Khuzwayo switched allegiance from the Naturena-based club during the offseason – but immediately went under the knife to sort out a problematic knee injury, which delayed his Pirates debut.

He has since been on the road to recovery and has featured only for the club’s reserve side in the Multichoice Diski Challenge.

In the lead-up to the big derby, speculation about him leapfrogging Siyabonga Mpontshane and Jackson Mabokgwane for a starting berth had become rife, but Sredojevic put that to bed as he revealed that the shot-stopper is not yet fully fit.

“I would say we have a clean bill of health so to speak, with the exception of Brilliant Khuzwayo. The nature of this match is such that even when injured the players would still want to be part of it. But Brilliant still needs to get proper clearance – the rest are fully in contention,” Sredojevic told the media.

Soweto Derby: Goalkeeping problems plague both giants

Having started the season with former Bafana keeper, Wayne Sandilands the preferred choice as the last line of defence, the Buccaneers have spent its latter parts alternating between Mpontshane and Mabokgwane, after the veteran shot-stopper fell out of favour.

Sandilands – who was initially left out of the Caf Champions League squad – did, however, feature against defending champions, Esperance in the Buccaneer’s most recent fixture, where he kept a clean sheet in a goalless draw.

Kaizer Chiefs, on the other hand, have long relied on a veteran of their own in the talismanic Itumeleng Khune, who has left a huge void at the back since his season ended due to a shoulder injury.

His deputy, Virgil Vries, has been a subject of discontent as far as the fans are concerned, thanks to a succession of costly errors which have seen the club concede defeats against Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town City respectively.

Amakhosi have recruited Nigerian international, Daniel Akpeyi, who could find himself thrown in the deep end, as patience with his Namibian counterpart seems to be wearing thin.