The news throughout the week of his players recovering from injury has gone from good to magnificent for Muhsin Ertugral as The Amakhosi put the finishing touches on their preparations for their weekend journey to Tshwane to face SuperSport United.

While David Obua made his comeback from injury by scoring a hat trick for the Uganda national team, the Chiefs coach will also have Mandla Masango available for selection for Sunday’s game, which The Amakhosi are expecting to be one of their toughest games of the season so far.

Masango’s return from a head injury he picked up during a practice game on the 22nd August will be a welcome one for Muhsin Ertugral, as he would be happy have the eighteen year old who scored on his Premier League debut on the 15th August once again available for selection.

Solid preparation

Masango confirmed to kaizerchiefs.com on Thursday that he has been hard at work on the training ground over the past week and is itching for a chance to be back out playing again. His preparations took a further boost when he played in a practice game for the Chiefs' first team against one of the youth sides earlier in the week.

Masango told kaizerchiefs.com “The medical team were not going to rush me back and it was a good thing that they did not, as I have had sufficient time to properly recover. I played in a practice game a few days ago and it helped me towards regaining my match fitness.”

Looking to the weekend

The young midfielder is now focused on the weekend’s assignment against SuperSport United and is not letting any distractions come in the way of him being fully prepared for Matsasantsa.

“The guys have done really well over the two games which I missed and I don’t expect to just walk back into the team, the competition for a place in the starting eleven is very stiff at the moment. I am though hopeful that I make the match-day 18 and that the coach utilizes me in some way during the game. Right now getting any time on the field is a bonus for me”.

Aware of the rivalry

While Mandla might be in his rookie season at Chiefs, he is well aware of the intense rivalry that exists between the two teams, and that a clash between Chiefs and United can be a very heated one.

“I am in a fortunate position to have so many older and experienced players playing along side me at Chiefs. They have guided me a lot over the past couple of months and have helped me keep my feet firmly on the ground. The guys have told me that when we play SuperSport, it is a physically and mentally demanding game. I would love to be part of the action and hopefully add my piece for the team towards this battle between Johannesburg and Tshwane.”