The Chippa United technical team say they will do some assessment in the coming hours on whether to include key players Thabo Makhele and Stanley Nwabali for their Betway Premiership match against AmaZulu at Buffalo City Stadium in East London on Saturday, since they reported for camp from international duty within 48 hours before the game.
They have played a vital role for Chippa as the last line and are the only players in the squad to have accumulated more than 2,000 minutes this season.
Among the factors Chippa will take into consideration in their selection for the Usuthu game, according to head coach Thabo September, is the game minutes Makhele and Nwabali had in the recent Fifa World Cup African qualifiers and the number of hours they have had to travel in between.
Goalkeeper Nwabali put in a 180-minute shift for Nigeria in their two games against Zimbabwe and Rwanda.
And in the space of a week he had to travel between SA, Nigeria and Rwanda.
Defender Makhele played full minutes for Lesotho in their qualifiers against SA and Rwanda. He had to travel return trip of close to 10 hours between SA and Rwanda.
“We will see how we integrate with them whether they will be in the starting team. We have not made that decision. We will consider their recovery,” September said.
Should the players be rested for the Usuthu game. Darren Johnson is Chippa’s second choice after Nwabali, but he has featured in only one game.
At centre-back, September has options of swapping Seun Ndlovu, Justice Chabalala or Thabang Molao to fill Makhele’s potential absence.
September said it was crucial for their top eight aspirations to get three points against AmaZulu and avoid a league double defeat as Arthur Zwane’s charges won the reverse fixture last October.
Chippa are in ninth position in the log standings with 25 points, but have two games in hand compared with Kaizer Chiefs, who are eighth with 29 points.
Chippa have been inconsistent.
They won their last game in EL against Polokwane City, and September is asking for more of the same against AmaZulu, who are just two places above them in the standings.
“Every point counts,” he said.
“There’s not a team now in the log who can say they are guaranteed certain spots from number one to 16.
“There’s a great belief within the camp that if we win the AmaZulu game it can push our mentality more, that here is an opportunity to even push further in the remaining games.”
The furherst Chippa have ever finished the league with was sixth positions about a decade ago.
Daily Dispatch
Chippa to assess international players’ fitness for Usuthu tie
Punishing travel challenges, game minutes played by Thabo Makhele and Stanley Nwabali will be considered, says coach
Image: DIRK KOTZE/GALLO IMAGES
The Chippa United technical team say they will do some assessment in the coming hours on whether to include key players Thabo Makhele and Stanley Nwabali for their Betway Premiership match against AmaZulu at Buffalo City Stadium in East London on Saturday, since they reported for camp from international duty within 48 hours before the game.
They have played a vital role for Chippa as the last line and are the only players in the squad to have accumulated more than 2,000 minutes this season.
Among the factors Chippa will take into consideration in their selection for the Usuthu game, according to head coach Thabo September, is the game minutes Makhele and Nwabali had in the recent Fifa World Cup African qualifiers and the number of hours they have had to travel in between.
Goalkeeper Nwabali put in a 180-minute shift for Nigeria in their two games against Zimbabwe and Rwanda.
And in the space of a week he had to travel between SA, Nigeria and Rwanda.
Defender Makhele played full minutes for Lesotho in their qualifiers against SA and Rwanda. He had to travel return trip of close to 10 hours between SA and Rwanda.
“We will see how we integrate with them whether they will be in the starting team. We have not made that decision. We will consider their recovery,” September said.
Should the players be rested for the Usuthu game. Darren Johnson is Chippa’s second choice after Nwabali, but he has featured in only one game.
At centre-back, September has options of swapping Seun Ndlovu, Justice Chabalala or Thabang Molao to fill Makhele’s potential absence.
September said it was crucial for their top eight aspirations to get three points against AmaZulu and avoid a league double defeat as Arthur Zwane’s charges won the reverse fixture last October.
Chippa are in ninth position in the log standings with 25 points, but have two games in hand compared with Kaizer Chiefs, who are eighth with 29 points.
Chippa have been inconsistent.
They won their last game in EL against Polokwane City, and September is asking for more of the same against AmaZulu, who are just two places above them in the standings.
“Every point counts,” he said.
“There’s not a team now in the log who can say they are guaranteed certain spots from number one to 16.
“There’s a great belief within the camp that if we win the AmaZulu game it can push our mentality more, that here is an opportunity to even push further in the remaining games.”
The furherst Chippa have ever finished the league with was sixth positions about a decade ago.
Daily Dispatch
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