Orlando Pirates Suffer Injury Setbacks with Mbatha and Makgopa Out
Orlando Pirates have been hit by a double midfield and attacking blow, with Thalente Mbatha now set for an extended spell on the sidelines as the club’s injury list grows at the worst possible time.
Mbatha facing surgery and a long layoff
Soccer Laduma report that Mbatha is dealing with a serious knee problem that has deteriorated to the point where specialists are advising surgery. The Bafana Bafana midfielder had featured in both of Pirates’ matches this season, but the club now look likely to lose one of Abdeslam Ouaddou’s most trusted operators for a significant period.
Details remain scarce. The exact nature of the knee injury is still under wraps, and no firm recovery timeline has been put forward. What is clear is that the 26-year-old is expected to spend a lengthy stretch out of action, a blow not only to Pirates’ early-season rhythm but also to South Africa’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying plans.
For Ouaddou, Mbatha is more than a name on the teamsheet. He has been a constant presence in midfield, a reliable cog in a side expected to juggle league demands, cup commitments and continental travel in the coming weeks.
Makgopa also out, Bafana plans rocked
Mbatha’s setback lands just a day after iDiski Times revealed that Evidence Makgopa is also nursing a knee injury. The Bafana Bafana striker played through pain at the World Cup and now needs two months of rest.
Makgopa has at least avoided the surgeon’s table, but the price is still steep. The report indicated that the 26-year-old will miss the opening months of the Buccaneers’ 2026/27 campaign and is also expected to sit out Bafana’s 2026 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in September.
So Pirates lose a key midfielder and their main national-team striker is also unavailable. Bafana lose an important attacker and face qualifiers without two established figures in the same week of bad news. The timing could hardly be worse.
Pressure rises on Pedersen
All of this throws an unforgiving spotlight on new signing Sebastian Pedersen.
The Norwegian forward only arrived in the country last week, but the narrative around him is already shifting from “exciting new face” to “urgent solution”. That pressure spiked after Ouaddou’s pointed comments about his current forwards in the wake of the MTN8 victory over Durban City.
“I need my strikers to wake up quickly and help the team,” the coach said after that match, making it clear that the bar has been set high and the patience is limited.
The message was unmistakable. With Makgopa sidelined and goals at a premium, Pedersen is expected to step in, adapt, and deliver.
Caution meets urgency
There was at least one encouraging sign for Pirates supporters on Monday. Club training images showed Pedersen among the group, being pushed through his paces as he continues to build fitness and familiarity.
But just as the urgency grows, Ouaddou is trying to slam the brakes.
Speaking to SABC Sport over the weekend, he urged supporters to temper their expectations about seeing the Norwegian thrown straight into the starting XI.
“I think they will have to be a little bit patient because, as I said, we don’t have to rush the process,” he explained.
He underlined that any decision on Pedersen will be taken with the performance and medical teams, stressing that the striker must be “fully prepared” before being introduced.
“When you start games, you have to be ready psychologically, mentally and physically. We don’t want to risk any of those factors,” Ouaddou said. “When he is on the pitch, it will mean we have received the green light from the performance department.”
The message is clear: Pirates need Pedersen, but they won’t gamble with his long-term fitness. The question is how long that stance can hold as the fixtures pile up and the goals need to come.
Midfield depth tested as schedule ramps up
Mbatha’s absence strips Ouaddou of a midfield stalwart, but this is at least one area where Pirates have numbers. The squad is stacked with options in the centre of the park, and the technical team will expect that depth to carry them through a brutal stretch of games.
Before the international break in late September, Pirates are scheduled to play six domestic league matches, an MTN8 semi-final and the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.
It is a run that will stretch even a deep squad. Now they must navigate it without Makgopa and, almost certainly, without Mbatha. How quickly that “green light” arrives for Pedersen could shape the early story of their season.
