Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has opened up on the situation around striker Zakhele Lepasa, who has not started a match for the club since October 2023.
Lepasa had a blistering start to the season, being the first player in the PSL to reach 10 goals across all competitions in the 2023/24 campaign.
However, the 26-year-old seemingly lost his starting spot to Evidence Makgopa, who, despite not matching Lepasa’s goal tally, brought a different profile to how the Buccaneers generate scoring opportunities.
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Although effective, that change was also short-lived, as Tshegofatso Mabasa returned from a loan spell at Moroka Swallows – where he had already scored six league goals.
Mabasa hit the ground running a Pirates and has already scored three goals, taking his league tally up to 10 for the season – just one behind Mamelodi Sundowns' Lucas Ribeiro Costa.
The bigger picture means Lepasa is now behind both Mabasa and Makgopa in the pecking order.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s quarter-final clash against AmaZulu FC to be played on Saturday, Riveiro explained the situation around the Bafana Bafana international.
"You are right, Zakhele [Lepasa] was scoring. He scored a hat-trick earlier in the season. He was in a really good space with a very high ratio of minutes played and goals.
"But we play with one striker," the Spaniard told journalists.
"We play with one striker or with one number nine, or whatever you call it," the Pirates coach went on.
"And right now, he was not in that space for a considerable amount of minutes and that’s why he is not scoring the games.
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"He is training well, he is fighting. He is trying to understand what we expect from him and other players in his position. He is working to make it possible [for him to play more often] when he gets the opportunity."
AmaZulu host Pirates at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday. Kick-off is at 18:00.
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