Kaizer Chiefs face a moerse test when they host Mamelodi Sundowns in a Soccer City PSL clash on Saturday (3.30pm).
Amakhosi will be without goalkeeper and captain Itumeleng Khune due to injury. Khune suffered a shoulder problem in their last game of 2018 and has not been assessed yet.
Instead, Itu will only see a specialist now that the campaign has resumed after the Christmas break.
On Thursday, Chiefs said in a statement that Khune will see an expert “to determine the extent of his injury and also to determine the period of recovery”.
It’s not a hopeful start to 2019 for the Amakhosi fans, who suffered a horror start to the season, which saw Ernst Middendorp replacing Giovanni Solinas as coach ahead of the match in which Khune was injured.
Sundowns boss Pitso Mosimane won’t be taking Chiefs lightly with his fifth-placed team leading the Sowetans by just one point, albeit with three games in hand.
Pitso, whose unbeaten Downs are eight points off the top of the table, is expecting a well-drilled side under Middendorp.
He says: “We need to catch up. We need to try and win. It’s not easy to go to FNB with a new coach. Okay, we don’t lose to be honest at FNB, but also we don’t win easily. Coach Middendorp is a tough, top disciplinarian. I could read one or two comments.”