Kaizer Chiefs face injury concerns before demanding week and Sundowns clash

Kaizer Chiefs will assess the fitness of Flavio Da Silva and Ethan Chislett as coach Fernando Da Cruz manages his squad through a demanding six-day period that includes a Betway Premiership meeting with Sekhukhune United and a major clash with Mamelodi Sundowns.

Chiefs’ 1-0 defeat by Golden Arrows in the MTN8 quarter-final at FNB Stadium on Saturday ended their involvement in the competition and left Da Cruz with little time to reflect on the disappointment. The club must now prepare for three matches in six days, beginning with Wednesday’s league fixture against Sekhukhune United.

Da Silva and Chislett were both absent for the defeat by Golden Arrows, while new signing Langelihle Phili made his first appearance for Chiefs when he came on as a second-half substitute.

Da Silva’s absence was particularly significant. The striker had scored in Chiefs’ Betway Premiership win over Kruger United the previous weekend, but Da Cruz said he suffered an injury during training before the cup match.

“First thing, Silva got hurt yesterday at training, so we were left minus one,” Da Cruz said through his translator. “We have three games in six days, so we prefer to be careful with him. The same thing for Chislett also.”

The coach is therefore expected to take a cautious approach with both players, especially with the much-anticipated meeting with Mamelodi Sundowns following the match against Sekhukhune United at the weekend.

The crowded fixture list comes as Da Cruz continues to assess his squad and work towards finding his preferred combinations during the early stages of the season. The need to rotate players has been heightened by the arrival of several new recruits, some of whom are still building up their fitness.

Phili’s introduction against Golden Arrows was one of the few positives for Chiefs despite their defeat. However, Da Cruz warned that the winger, who has only recently joined the club, is not yet ready for a full workload.

“I’m happy about the performance of Phili today, but he’s not 100% as yet, so we’ll go step-by-step with him to be careful,” he said.

Another new arrival, Faiz Abrahams, was not included in the matchday squad for the MTN8 tie. Da Cruz said Abrahams had arrived without completing a pre-season programme and would need time before he could be fully integrated into the team.

“And with Faiz, he has no pre-season whatsoever, so we are only starting to prepare him now and he’ll need a bit of patience,” Da Cruz added.

Pule Mmodi and Asanele Velebayi were also omitted from the squad against Golden Arrows. Their absence was not related to fitness problems, with Da Cruz explaining that both players were left out for tactical reasons.

“For Velebayi and Mmodi, it was just a choice today, but we have three games in six days, so we’ll need the entire squad because it will be a tough week for all of us,” he said.

With the MTN8 campaign now over, Chiefs’ focus turns immediately to improving their league form. The visit of Sekhukhune United offers the first opportunity to respond, but the fixture against Mamelodi Sundowns will provide the more significant test.

Da Cruz will hope Da Silva and Chislett recover in time to strengthen his attacking options, while the rest of the squad will be required to contribute during a demanding period for Kaizer Chiefs.