Orlando Pirates midfielder Makhehlene Makhaula is expected to join the rest of the team at training before the end of this week after his life-threatening incident.
The midfielder collapsed during Saturday’s Nedbank Cup Round of 16 clash against Hungry Lions before being rushed to hospital.
Pirates coach Jose Riveiro gave a further update on the player’s recovery at a media briefing at the Nedbank Cup quarter-final draw at SuperSport studios in Randburg on Monday.
“He is alright, it was a scary and difficult moment but, in the end, it was not as bad as it looked earlier,” Riveiro said.
“He is going to have another assessment with doctors tomorrow (Tuesday) and hopefully he can start working normally this week with the team.”
After coming up against clubs from the lower divisions in the previous rounds, Pirates were pitted against fellow DStv Premiership side AmaZulu FC in the last eight.
Riveiro expects a tough clash against Usuthu in Durban but is consoled by the huge support that the team normally enjoys when they visit the coastal city.
“At this stage of the tournament, there is no easy opponent. We have already played once with AmaZulu this season in Durban and the game ended with a scoreline of 0-0,” Riveiro said.
“AmaZulu are a well-organised team and it’s difficult to play well against them. If you have seen their games, nobody is playing well against AmaZulu and that’s because of the work that they are doing.
“We know what is coming but we are going to prepare for that. Travelling to Durban is great for us because Durban always feels like home.”
“I’m sure there are a lot of (Durban-based) Pirates fans that are happy with the draw and they are ready to come there in numbers to create a proper atmosphere for a knockout game.”
Pirates will return to action in the league against Sekhukhune United at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday, March 30.
