Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates will miss their key players for their Betway Premiership midweek matches against Richards Bay FC and Polokwane City FC respectively.
The Amakhosi have travelled to KwaZulu-Natal for a date with the Natal Rich Boyz on Tuesday at uMhlathuze Stadium. The kick off for this sold out affair is set for 19:30. Chiefs seek to recover from a dip in form. A run of four defeats and a win in their last five games has plunged the Soweto Giants into what looks like a quandary.
Calls for co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef to vacate their roles have been growing louder. Kaze has responded by saying the club management has shown trust in them.
Chiefs’ bad patch includes exiting the Nedbank Cup and CAF Confederation Cup, as well as last weekend’s 3-0 drubbing by Orlando Pirates in the Soweto Derby. Hopes of Amakhosi finishing the season with a piece of silverware are now slim.
They only have the Betway Premiership to play for, but they slid a rung down to fifth place after the Pirates defeat. Eleven points separate them with log leaders, the Buccaneers.
Having not signed a first team player in January, Chiefs’ depth is now being tested. They are at the stage of the season where they cannot afford to lose players. But they have traveled to Richards Bay without one of their squad’s influential members.
WHO IS THE CHIEFS PLAYER OUT OF RICHARDS BAY TRIP?
The Glamour Boys side will lock horns with the KZN side without the services of defender Zitha Kwinika due to suspension.
Kwinika received his fourth yellow card during the Soweto Derby against Pirates over the weekend, which they lost 3-0. The sold out affair between Amakhosi and the Buccaneers took place at the FNB Stadium.
So far, Kwinika has played 24 games across all competitions and contributed one goal for the club this campaign
THE PLAYER RULED OUT FOR PIRATES GAME AGAINST POLOKWANE CITY FC
Meanwhile, Pirates will have to navigate their next fixture without the services of star player Kamogelo Sebelebele.
The former TS Galaxy man is coming off a stellar Man of the Match performance against Chiefs this past weekend, but his brilliance came at a cost.
Sebelebele picked up his fourth yellow card during Saturday’s Soweto Derby, triggering an automatic suspension. His absence will be a significant blow for the Buccaneers as they prepare to face Polokwane City.
The clash against Rise and Shine is set for Wednesday at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 19:30.
LIST OF ALL SUSPENDED PLAYERS FOR BETWAY PREMIERSHIP MIDWEEK FIXTURES
KAIZER CHIEFS
Zitha Kwinika
ORLANDO PIRATES
Kamogelo Sebelebele
MAGESI FC
Samuel Darpoh
STELLENBOSCH FC
Thabo Moloisane
TS GALAXY
Seluleko Mahlambi
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