Kaizer Chiefs winger Abrahams handed opportunity by Langelihle Phili absence

Langelihle Phili’s eight-week absence through injury could open the door for Faiz Abrahams to make a bigger impact at Kaizer Chiefs starting with their match against Siwelele in the Betway Premiership on Sunday.

Phili, who had made an impressive start to life at Amakhosi following his arrival from Stellenbosch, was ruled out last week with an ankle injury, leaving coach Fernando Da Cruz with another attacking headache.

The 21-year-old had quickly established himself as an important option for Chiefs, scoring against Mamelodi Sundowns and earning the Player of the Match award against Sekhukhune United.

His absence could now provide an opportunity for fellow Stellenbosch recruit Abrahams to stake his claim.

Abrahams made his Chiefs debut during Wednesday’s 2-2 draw against Richards Bay, coming off the bench for the final 24 minutes at the King Zwelithini Stadium.

The speedy winger was deployed as an inverted right winger, with Da Cruz asking him to help Chiefs overturn a 2-1 deficit.

“Faiz Abrahams brings something different to the team. Those early deliveries need a proper target man in the box. With a striker like Flavio, the instruction should simply be to stay in the box and attack those crosses. 😫🔥 pic.twitter.com/5xNZTyJ2e2

— the Glamour Boy (@ItumelengL40743) August 26, 2026

“The coach told me to go out there and create chances for us to get back into the game,” Abrahams said.

“I think I made a few opportunities that we might have scored from, so I am quite happy with how I did.”

Chiefs eventually rescued a point through Siphesihle Ndlovu’s late equaliser, but Abrahams felt the performance deserved more.

“We played well enough to win the game but we had a couple of misfortunes which we will definitely work on cutting out going forward,” he said.

The 21-year-old’s introduction came just weeks after he joined Chiefs from Stellenbosch on a season-long loan, with an option to make the move permanent.

Home Fixture Update: Siwelele FC

Old Fixture
📅Saturday 05 September 2026
🏟️Royal Bafokeng Stadium
🕕20h00

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

New Fixture
📅Sunday 06 September 2026
🏟️Dobsonville Stadium, Soweto
🕕17h30#Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/YBZT9czTIk

— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) August 27, 2026

With Phili now sidelined until roughly October, Abrahams has an opportunity to make himself difficult to leave out of Da Cruz’s plans.

That could begin against Siwelele, particularly as Chiefs look to maintain their positive start to the league campaign.

Abrahams has already shown Da Cruz that he can provide width, creativity and a different profile in attack, but the winger knows he will need to build on his first cameo.

“I’m just going to keep working as hard as I can in order to maintain a high standard week in, week out. Consistency is the most important thing,” he said.

“You have to be at your best every time you set foot on the field.”

With Phili unavailable for a significant period, the timing could hardly be better for Abrahams to turn a promising debut into a sustained run in the Chiefs team.