Prior to their Carling Knockout round of 16 matchup against SuperSport United on Saturday, Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasredinne Nabi has given an injury update on Rushwin Dortley and Gaston Sirino.
Defender Dortley was knocked down while playing for Bafana Bafana on international duty against Congo this week, and Sirino sustained an injury during their Betway Premiership match against Mamelodi Sundowns over a week ago.
“You will notice that we felt the absence of Sirino in our last game against Marumo [Gallants]. It shows the importance of that player in the team,” Nabi said during a press conference on Thursday.
“Maybe he is not fully recovered, but we will try and count on him in the next game — maybe not the 90 minutes, but we will try and [make sure that he] recovers for the game.
“I heard that Dortley had an injury during the match against Congo. All these disturbances are a little disturbing, but we are adapting.
“We need to try and work around them and see how we can include them in the team and prepare for the game.”
Nine-year trophy drought
The frank Tunisian international tactician also discussed Edson Castillo’s availability, as he was with Venezuela on international duty over the weekend.
“We have a player like Castillo who is only arriving today [Thursday] at 3pm. So, we don’t know if he is going to have enough time to recover,” Nabi said.
Nabi will be competing in his first domestic cup tournament since taking over the hot seat at Naturena, having not taken part in the MTN8 this season.
Following a nine-year trophy drought, the Soweto giants will be looking to turn things around under Nabi this season.
The Carling Knockout is expected to be the first trophy up for grabs for Amakhosi.
SuperSport and the Glamour Boys will square off at Polokwane’s Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. The game will get underway at 8pm.
