Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos believes Orlando Pirates would have to kiss the Betway Premiership title goodbye if they lose to Mamelodi Sundowns this weekend.
Second-placed Pirates host Sundowns at FNB Stadium on Sunday, needing to get a victory to keep their hopes of winning the Premiership title alive.
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Currently 18 points behind the leaders, a victory would reduce the gap by three points and Pirates would still have four games in hand. But, as they usually say, games in hand are not points, so Pirates would still need to dig deep to win the matches they still need to play.
Broos will be keeping a close eye on the match in the hope that none of the players he has called-up to his squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin do not get injured. He has nine Sundowns players in the squad and four from Pirates.
"It's important for Sundowns, but it's also important for Pirates. I think if Pirates lose that game, it's definitely finished to be champions. So it's a very important game for both sides. Let's hope and pray there are no injuries," the Belgian said after announcing his squad in Auckland Park, Johannesburg on Thursday afternoon.
Broos, meanwhile, spoke about the return of Jayden Adams to the senior national team, after he was withdrawn from the squad last year for not arriving on time for camp. The coach said he wanted to teach Adams a lesson and is now delighted to have the former Stellenbosch FC player in the squad.
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Adams has been in good form since joining Sundowns, settling in quickly at Chloorkop in a star-studded side.
"I think everybody knows why Jayden was not with us anymore. I hope he learnt a lot about what he did. That was what I wanted to achieve, that he knows that he cannot do what he did. When you have a call-up for the national team, you do everything to come. I wanted just to show him that this is not the right attitude," Broos said.
"Jayden, as a player, I like him. He is a good player. He plays good with Sundowns, so I did not see a reason why I should not call him up. I was afraid he won't play so much because Sundowns have a lot of players."
