Chiefs coach Zwane gives injury update ahead of Soweto derby

Kaizer Chiefs will be without several key players including captain Itumeleng Khune when they take on Orlando Pirates in a Carling Black Label Cup clash at FNB Stadium at midday.

This was confirmed by the Amakhosi coach Arthur Zwane.

“Looking at the number of players who will be available for this game and those who will not be available, we will have to dig deeper. We don’t have Happy (Mashiane), Itu (Khune), Caleb (Bimenyimana) who are out injured and Njabulo (Blom) and Siyethemba (Sithebe) due to illness. We have about six players who will not be available, the rest of the team are available. We will have to juggle the team around, but we don’t have a problem, because we have other players who are equally capable of showcasing their talent and representing the club well,” says Zwane.

Zwane added that he was looking forward to facing Pirates in a “serious”Soweto derby.

“This is not just a practice match, a friendly match. It’s a very, very serious game. That will help us going forward, as well. It will give some of our youngsters an opportunity and some of those who have not been playing regularly, as well, the chance to show their value. We do believe in them. It will help us balance the depth in the squad.”

The game between Chiefs and Pirates will kickoff at 12pm after the first semi-final between Mamelodi Sundowns and AmaZulu, which kicked off at 9.30am.