The displeasure of a first round exit in the Supa Eight is now palling into insignificance as Kaizer Chiefs prepare to launch an assault on the Castle Premiership title starting with a tough encounter against rivals Sundowns at Ellis Park on Saturday.

It will be the second meeting between the two clubs within three weeks. Chiefs triumphed 1-0 in the previous encounter during the annual Telkom Charity Cup at FNB Stadium on August 2.

But as Amakhosi prepare for this crucial match, they have a few niggling problems to worry about in their playing personnel.

Inspirational midfielders Jabu Pule and Stanton Fredericks are both doubtful due to injuries. Pule has tendonitis to his right knee while Fredericks is down with a deep groin injury.

Compounding Amakhosi's woes is injuries to three other key members of the squad Kabamba Musasa, Jabulani Mendu (both ankle) and Sbusiso Dlamini (hamstring).

Utility midfielder Nhlanhla Kubeka sprained his ankle at training and is doubtful for the Sundowns game. Rodney Thobejane has a minor injury and should be fine on Saturday.

These injuries could make any coach rush for panic buttons given the magnitude of this game. But Chiefs coach Ted Dumitru appeared less concerned about the situation.

"We do have a couple of injuries but that is not a worrying factor," said Dumitru. "To me if you have 27 players, it doesn’t matter who is injured or not."

"We played against Sundowns (in the Charity Cup) without some of our key players and still managed to beat them and I am sure we will be able to find combinations for this game from the players that are available. The challenge will be on these players to fulfill the task," he said.

As the new season gets underway, Amakhosi have identified their defence as a weakness and an area that needs urgent attention.

"We have discovered from the analysis of the last seven matches for instance that a lone striker can actually damage our defence system. The majority of goals conceded in that period were through the central defence area," said Dumitru.

"It's a mixture of problems contributing to that problem. It could be leadership, pure values as a defender, tactical misunderstanding or lack of concentration. We need that department to become the strongest on the field."

The match kicks off at 16:00 but early birds will be treated to a feast of exhibition football between the Chiefs Legends and Sundowns Master which kicks off at 13:50.