Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando Da Cruz will have one eye on the fitness of Flávio Da Silva and Ethan Chislett as the Glamour Boys prepare for a demanding week that culminates in a clash against Mamelodi Sundowns.
Chiefs’ 1-0 MTN8 quarter-final defeat to Golden Arrows at FNB Stadium on Saturday has left Da Cruz with little time to dwell on their early cup exit, with three matches scheduled across six days.
Da Silva and Chislett were notable absentees against Arrows, while new signing Langelihle Phili made his Chiefs debut as a second-half substitute.
Da Silva was particularly missed after scoring in Chiefs’ Betway Premiership victory over Kruger United the previous weekend, but Da Cruz revealed the striker had picked up an injury in training.
“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.”
Chiefs now face Sekhukhune United in the league on Wednesday before the significantly bigger assignment against Sundowns at the weekend.
The congested schedule has forced Da Cruz to carefully manage his squad, particularly with the Frenchman still attempting to establish his preferred combinations during the opening weeks of the season.
Phili’s introduction against Arrows provided a positive despite the defeat, although Da Cruz admitted the winger is still not at full fitness after his recent arrival.
“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.
Fellow new arrival Faiz Abrahams was not included in the matchday squad and will also require patience after arriving without having completed a pre-season.
“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 left out against Arrows, although Da Cruz stressed their omissions were tactical rather than injury-related.
“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 now gone, Chiefs’ immediate priority is returning to winning ways in the league.
But with Sundowns waiting at the weekend, Da Cruz will be hoping his key attacking options recover quickly enough to give him the depth required for a crucial period of the campaign.
