Chiefs hit by injuries ahead of Sekhukhune showdown

Kaizer Chiefs will be without some of their key players when they meet Sekhukhune United in their penultimate DStv Premiership on Saturday afternoon. The game is at Emirates Airlines Stadium (formerly Ellis Park) in Johannesburg at 3 pm. 

Amakhosi coach Arthur Zwane has revealed that he will be without the services of some of his key players like Keagan Dolly and Phathutshedzo Nange for this game.

“We lost Nange, who is suspended, and (Kearyn) Baccus because of a thigh injury, we thought he was going to be available,” says Zwane. 

“We tried to push it, thinking he might pass a late fitness test but unfortunately he could not make it, and he’s not going to be available for this game. 

“Keagan Dolly has a calf injury as well, which he picked up on Wednesday. He’s going to be out for six to eight weeks. (Samir) Nurkovic is going to be out with a knee injury. So all those injuries happened towards the end of our preparations. Now we had to reassert other things and prepare the team in terms of combination play.”

The unavailability of these stars is no train smash because it gives Zwane an opportunity to give some of the players who have not had much game time a chance to show what they have. This is particularly important because he already has one eye on preparations for next season. 

“We are trying to see who can give us that balance going forward. Some responded positively, some are a little bit fringe because they have not been playing for some time now. So we will see who we think will give us that extra oomph or balance or better attacking options. 

“We will maybe go for (Bernard) Parker or Lazalous (Kambole) as who we will start with. We welcome back Mshini (Nkosingiphile Ngcobo), but he is also not 100 percent. 

“We’re trying to get the combinations right. It’s the nature of this game, where the key players are having challenges here and there due to injuries, but we will see what we can do.”

Zwane also said they had done their homework on Sekhukhune and know what to expect and have a plan for the Limpopo side.