Da Cruz keeps Kaizer Chiefs injury details under wraps before Red Arrows test

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz has not confirmed which injured players could return for Friday’s CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round, second leg against Red Arrows in Durban.

Lebohang Maboe, Adolf Mtasingwa, Siphesihle Ndlovu, Langelihle Phili and Brandon Petersen have all missed at least the past two matches because of different injuries. That includes the first leg against the Zambian side, which Kaizer Chiefs lost 1-0.

The South African club must overturn that deficit to reach the CAF Confederation Cup group stage for a second consecutive season. Victory would also bring an end to their six-match winless run.

Speaking at a media press conference on Thursday, Da Cruz said the injured players were recovering but declined to say who might be fit to face Red Arrows.

“It’s a good thing to speak about the injured players because since the beginning of the season we decreased the number of muscular injuries,” said Da Cruz.

The coach said Kaizer Chiefs had suffered only three muscular injuries during the season, compared with previous campaigns, while the remaining injuries had been caused by contact.

“If we compare with other seasons we had only three muscular injuries during this season,” he said. “The other injuries are contact injuries – very unlucky, if you see for example [Paseka] Mako in pre-season when he broke his arm.”

Da Cruz added that the club was moving in the right direction with its injured players, although their returns would come gradually rather than immediately.

“So we are on a good way for injured players, the players that will come back, not now but step by step, they are going to come back from injuries.”