MAY Mahlangu will make his comeback to football tonight after nine months on the sidelines if he turns out for new Swedish side IFK Goteborg, as expected.

The Bafana Bafana midfielder ruptured his Achilles tendon in training in July last year, scuppering a potential move to a bigger European league after a number of clubs showed an interest in signing him from his employers at the time, Helsingborg.

The injury was a severe blow for Bafana too, with Mahlangu just beginning to stamp his authority on the attacking midfield berth. He is now hoping for a fresh start at Goteborg, where he has signed a one-year contract in the hope of proving his fitness and putting himself back in the show window.

Goteborg take on Åtvidaberg in a league match tonight and Mahlangu is tipped to play some role after narrowly missing out on being used in Monday's 1-1 draw with Brommapojkarna.

"I have really worked hard for the past five or six weeks and feel much stronger," Mahlangu told Swedish publication GT. "It has been hard and I may not be ready for a full 90 minutes. I am also not 'match fit' in terms of the actual football."

Goteborg physio Fredrik Larsson confirmed that Mahlangu could have played on Monday.