Kaizer Chiefs have made a triple swoop of signings this week but only one of them is likely to feature against Orlando Pirates.
Chiefs bolster their attack and midfield
Cele is severely lacking match sharpness after playing his last competitive outing in November. He’ll need a couple of weeks to accustom himself to the pace of South African football. Meanwhile, Morris is suspended after a dismissal in his last match for SuperSport. He sat out the Free Agents clash in the Nedbank Cup and must sit out one more match. Glody Lilepo has the best chance of the three to start the Soweto Derby but that hinges on the Congolese star getting a work permit approved.
No Soweto Derby for Duba
According to Soccer-Laduma, 20-year-old Wandile Duba will be on the sidelines for over a month after sustaining an injury against Free Agents. He’s therefore ruled out of the Soweto Derby.
“He (Duba) went for scanning yesterday and that’s when they (Chiefs doctors) were sure that he would be out for about a month and a half. He will actually be out for 42 days. It’s a knee injury. He twisted it and got injured. Very bad, my brother, but 42 days is not that bad though.” said a source.
“The team (Chiefs) needed him in this Soweto Derby and him (Duba) as a player also wanted to play and that’s a big blow for the team. But you know, injuries are part of the game. Now he has just to focus on healing and to come back strong,” said another source.
Strongest Chiefs XI with new signings and no injuries?
Ntwari; Blom, Miguel, Dortley, Cross; Mthethwa, Cele; Lilepo, Shabalala, Sirino; Duba.
Having the technical security of midfielder Njabulo Blom at right-back makes Chiefs play more narrowly. However, it also allows them to control more of the possession. Youngsters Mduduzi Shabalala and Wandile Diba have made themselves indispensable members of the side so other pieces of the puzzle must be moved around them. At R9.6 million, new boy Glody Lilepo will be expected to start straight away to make a return on that investment in his services.
Chiefs promote ‘Zizo’
According to Soccer Laduma, attacking midfielder Siphesihle Tati is in line for a three-year deal at Kaizer Chiefs. The youngster will reportedly join up with his senior teammates between now and the end of the 2024-20-25 campaign. Tati was born in August 2004 in Soweto. Nicknamed ‘Zizo’, Tati is a creative flair player with an eye for a killer pass.
What’s your starting XI for the Derby against Orlando Pirates?
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