Malibongwe Mdletshe|Published
The Orlando Pirates head coach is crossing his fingers as he awaits a medical assessment on star player Oswin Appollis, who was stretchered off in the second half of their 3-0 Betway Premiership drubbing of TS Galaxy at Orlando Amstel Arena on Tuesday night.
As opposed to starting on the bench when they lost 2-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 final on Saturday, Appollis was in the starting lineup on Tuesday and made an telling impact, assisting the opening goal slotted home by Boitumelo Radiopane.
It was big blow though to see dimunitive midfielder stretchered off.
When asked about Appollis's fitness status during the post-match press conference, coach Abdeslam Ouaddou was honest, admitting he hopes it is merely fatigue, considering the winger has been a regular starter for both Pirates and Bafana Bafana.
"It seems to be fatigue, I hope. I hope, really, because he's one of our best players. (He's an) important player in the group," Ouaddou said.
Appollis is vital to Ouaddou's plans as Bucs navigate a grueling multi-front campaign. Continental demands are already throwing a spanner in the works with the CAF Champions League resuming, while a high-stakes Soweto derby against arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs looms large on October 31.
Losing a dynamic attacking outlet would severely test the squad's depth during this pivotal stretch.
"You know that we have an important game now (on Saturday afternoon against Namibian side, African Stars) in the Champions League. We have the derby coming (a Betway Premiership encounter against Chiefs on October 31). For now (on Tuesday night), I don't have too much information about that (Appollis being stretchered off). I just didn't want to take risks with him," said Ouaddou.
"You know, it's a very important player (we're talking about). When I spoke with him and with the medical department, we just decided not to take a risk, and we will assess him, and we'll see. We'll see, maybe tomorrow we'll have more information about him."