COLLINS Mbesuma will win back his starting place in the Orlando Pirates line-up against Platinum Stars tomorrow night despite his competition for the central striker role - Takesure Chinyama - netting four goals at the weekend.
Bucs coach Roger de Sa said it was because both forwards could not handle the rigorous fixture list in the Premier Soccer League.
Mbesuma, Pirates' top scorer in the Absa Premiership this season with four goals, was rested against Djabal FC in the African Champions League on Saturday, a game the Buccaneers won 5-0 with Chinyama scoring four times.
"I felt like giving Collins a rest because he would never play Saturday, Wednesday and Saturday again, nor could Chinyama. So we have got to do a little bit of a rotation with them," said De Sa.
The coach also had the Nedbank Cup, which kicks off this weekend with Pirates facing Vodacom League side Maluti FET College, in mind when he picked his team for the match against Djabal.
De Sa said he would not take anything away from Chinyama's performance because the team from the Comoros Islands were part-time footballers.
"But we are going to face stronger opposition. The defender marking Chinyama took him up on his shoulder - that would never happen in the PSL," the coach said.
"For a guy who lacked game time, he was OK."
Chinyama has played in eight league games for Pirates, three as a substitute, and scored twice.
Mbesuma will start against Stars
COLLINS Mbesuma will win back his starting place in the Orlando Pirates line-up against Platinum Stars tomorrow night despite his competition for the central striker role - Takesure Chinyama - netting four goals at the weekend.
Bucs coach Roger de Sa said it was because both forwards could not handle the rigorous fixture list in the Premier Soccer League.
Mbesuma, Pirates' top scorer in the Absa Premiership this season with four goals, was rested against Djabal FC in the African Champions League on Saturday, a game the Buccaneers won 5-0 with Chinyama scoring four times.
"I felt like giving Collins a rest because he would never play Saturday, Wednesday and Saturday again, nor could Chinyama. So we have got to do a little bit of a rotation with them," said De Sa.
The coach also had the Nedbank Cup, which kicks off this weekend with Pirates facing Vodacom League side Maluti FET College, in mind when he picked his team for the match against Djabal.
De Sa said he would not take anything away from Chinyama's performance because the team from the Comoros Islands were part-time footballers.
"But we are going to face stronger opposition. The defender marking Chinyama took him up on his shoulder - that would never happen in the PSL," the coach said.
"For a guy who lacked game time, he was OK."
Chinyama has played in eight league games for Pirates, three as a substitute, and scored twice.
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