Four Kaizer Chiefs stars ruled out of Zamalek clash, but Bafana Bafana forward and ex-Mamelodi Sundowns star cleared to face five-time CAF Champions League winners

Kaizer Chiefs host Zamalek in a CAF Confederation Cup Group D match at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.

It is a match Amakhosi are pressured to win after losing 1-0 to another Egyptian side Al Masry last Sunday.

But going into the game against the White Knights, the Soweto giants will be missing the services of four players. 

They would be hoping their injury situation would not affect them, having also gone into the Al Masry game facing the same problems.

These are the familiar pressures that define African football, where fitness issues might strike ahead of crucial games and Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze opens up on their situation.

While there is some good news of Khanyisa Mayo returning after missing Chiefs' last four games, there are still a number of players battling for fitness.

Glody Lilepo will not take part in a third successive game, but the coaches will turn to Mayo, Flavio da Silva, Etiosa Ighodaro and Wandile Duba as options upfront.

With Aden McCarthy and Rushwin Dortley still out recovering, Inacio Miguel, Zitha Kwinika and Given Msimango provide cover at the heart of defence.

The absence of goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari has also not been felt with Bruce Bvuma and captain Brandon Petersen around. 

“As you can see, for example, Khanyisa Mayo is available for selection after spending a few weeks out of the field,” said Kaze as per iDiski Times. 

“Gaston Sirino is back as well from suspension. But there are players that have been like Dortley and Fiacre they are out for this game and as well as Glody Lilepo and Aden McCarthy have not recovered yet from their injuries for this game, but the rest of the players are available for selection.” 

The Soweto giants will be up against continental heavyweights who have previously been crowned African champions five times.

Zamalek have also won the Confederation Cup twice before and clinched the CAF Super Cup on five occasions.

Chiefs, on the other hand, have won the then-CAF Cup Winners' Cup as the only continental silverware and it came in 2001, interestingly, succeeding Zamalek, who had won it the previous season.

That has left Amakhosi defender Zitha Kwinika accepting the underdog tag. 

“We can take that [the underdog tag],” said Kwinika as per IOL.   

“But at the end of the day, we are also Kaizer Chiefs. We are a big team like Zamalek.   

“We’ll give them the respect they deserve, but at the end of the day, we have a job to do in the game. And we are ready to do exactly that.”

The Zamalek match comes a few days after Amakhosi faced Al Masry in their first match of this group. 

That makes the Soweto giants desperate for three points in their own backyard to recover.   

Kwinika draws some similarities between Al Masry and Zamalek while stating their awareness of possible tricks that can be employed by their opponents on Saturday.

“It’s crucial to win at home because I think that gives you better points and better chances going forward,” Kwinika added. 

“I think it becomes very difficult when you are playing away. We are confident, and we know what we need to do. It’s just about us doing that and pushing forward. I think that will help us a lot going forward, especially in terms of scoring.

“I think they have similar players, with the same style of play. It’s the same thing they do best there - the delaying tactics and all that. We’ve learned from that, and we are ready for the upcoming one.”