Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze delivered a mixed injury report on Friday as the club prepares for the crucial CAF Confederation Cup second leg, Second Preliminary Round match against Congolese side AS Simba at Dobsonville Stadium. Kick off is 3:00 PM.
While the team welcomes the return of a long-term absentee, two key players are facing a race against time. Amakhosi played out a goalless draw away in Lubumbashi last weekend and need to win to book a group stage spot. But they may have to do it without some of their key players after two midweek injuries.
Striker Khanyisa Mayo is officially ruled out of the weekend clash. The attacker picked up a hamstring injury during the midweek goalless draw against Siwelele FC and will be a notable miss as Chiefs seek to secure their passage to the next round.
There is also concern over the availability of an important defensive figure, with Inacio Miguel set for a late fitness assessment. The defender sustained an injury during the same midweek match, and his presence will be determined closer to kick-off.
LATEST INJURY UPDATE ON OTHER CHIEFS STARS
Defender Paseka Mako also remains a continuing injury concern and will miss the match at Dobsonville.
“The thing that we are sure of until now is that Mayo is out for this game after suffering a hamstring injury in our last game,” Kaze explained.
“We still need to manage and make some additional tests for Miguel, who’s injured at halftime against Siwelele. We will assess him today and tomorrow to see if he can feature. As coaches, we are optimistic about him.”
The news, however, was not all negative. The biggest boost comes from Given Msimango, who has returned to training with the squad after a six-month layoff. While he may not be match-fit for the immediate challenge, his return signals a major step in the right direction for the central defender.
“Other than that, Ethan [Chislett] is still not fully fit. He started training with the group, but without contact. Given has already had one week of training with the group after being out of the field for six months.
“[Paseka] Mako is still unavailable, but the rest of the team is still doing good. Flavio [Da Silva] has been training with the group for the last 10 days, and we’re pretty sure he’s good to go now.”
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