Posted in News, Team News on Apr 15, 2021.
The team have only had one full training session after their return from Guinea where they played Horoya AC in their final CAF Champions League Group Stages game.
“We have not had much time to prepare for the game and Baroka had more than 5 days to get ready,” says Kaizer Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt. “But we are not complaining because I believe it’s better to play every three or so days.
“They are a physical team and are a hard-running team, so our have to work hard to get the points. The other thing is that it’s a day game and the heat is different from where we come from, but we will have to adjust and do our best.”
Chiefs did not travel with Daniel Akpeyi and Samir Nurković to Guinea as they were suspended and are likely to return for this or the next game. Leonardo Castro will miss the game as he’s still nursing a broken nose.
“There are places we can make changes and there are places we can’t,” he adds. “We will look at the team that played in Guinea and maybe make one or two changes for this afternoon’s game if necessary. We will see how it goes after this morning’s review.”
Chiefs are ninth on the log with 24 points after 20 games and Baroka are in 12th position with 23 points. Most of the teams have played 22 games.
“They are right behind us and we need to get away from them on the log,” says Hunt as he concludes. “We need to make the two games we have in hand count and move away from the teams that are near us on the standings. We need to start this afternoon to get the three points, but we know Baroka aren’t an easy side to beat but we will do our best.”
Amakhosi and Bakgakga kick off at 15:00 at the Peter Mokaba in Polokwane. The game will be live on DStv Channel 202 and various SABC radio stations.