Nasreddine Nabi reveals two Kaizer Chiefs stars who insisted on playing against Mamelodi Sundowns despite carrying injuries - 'Big mentality and sacrifice from Edmilson Dove and Zitha Kwinika, and I have to thank them'

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi has revealed that both Edmilson Dove and Zitha Kwinika were not fully fit to face Mamelodi Sundowns last Sunday.

Chiefs faced the Premier Soccer League giants and defeated them in the semi-final of the Nedbank Cup. Although they managed to find a way past the Tshwane giants, Nabi has now stated that Dove and Kwinika were ready despite not being fully fit.

The Glamour Boys, however, managed to book a date with Orlando Pirates courtesy of a 2-1 victory at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

“There are a lot of young players, but we were waiting for the right time to put them in. Aden [McCarthy] was maybe 90% [close] to starting this game. He was a starter, but I have to thank the medical staff for preparing [Edmilson] Dove and Zitha [Kwinika] for us," Nabi said as quoted by SPORTSWIRE.

“And thanks to the players because some players, when they get injured, can decide they can’t play this kind of game, a semi-final against Sundowns, scared for themselves, but big mentality and sacrifice from [Edmilson] Dove and Zitha [Kwinika], and I have to thank them," he added.

The Tunisian coach also touched on the club's plan to integrate promising players from the junior side into the senior team.

“If there wasn’t pressure like at Kaizer Chiefs, you could give the younger players a chance already, but when you have a lot of pressure and results are not very good, you have to manage which time you put them in to start playing because if you put them in bad situations, you can kill the careers of these players, so for that we manage,” Nabi explained.

“The plan for the season we discussed with the board is that we must build a team, and also, we have to keep [an eye on] our younger players, DDC players, and give them a chance. You saw [Wandile] Duba was one of the best players in the game [against Sundowns].

“Aden is with us, and every time we try to bring a player from DDC, they can make a [training] session with us, and we see if they are ready because we don’t think about how old you are. If they deserve to play, they must play – it’s not about age," he concluded.

Kwinika was an unused substitute against Sundowns, while Dove started and played to the end.

After revealing their fitness concerns, eyes will be keen on whether Nabi will deploy Kwinika and Dove in the next games.

During the final against Pirates, Nabi will need each of his regular starters fully fit because this is the only title they are chasing in the season.

The next assignment for Amakhosi is a league match against Chippa United on April 19. Then they will face Marumo Gallants on April 26.

The Glamour Boys are scheduled to face the Sea Robbers back-to-back, on May 3 and May 10, for a league clash and the Nedbank Cup final, respectively.