Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane resumes hunt for CAF Champions League finish

SPORT

Arthur Zwane’s chase for a DStv Premiership runner-up finish will continue this weekend as Kaizer Chiefs host stubborn Stellenbosch at FNB Stadium on Saturday, knowing that anything less than a win may see his pursuit stalled.

By 7.30pm on Saturday, fourth-placed Chiefs will have made or lost ground in their mission to topple second-placed SuperSport United, who will be away against Chippa United in Gqeberha.

Both Chiefs and SuperSport may kick off their matches under pressure if third-placed Orlando Pirates win their match against Richards Bay in Durban, which will start at 3pm.

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Stellenbosch are unbeaten in their last five matches – winning four and drawing one – thanks to the exploits of their returnee striker Iqraam Rayners who was voted the DStv Premiership player of the month for February/March. 

Rayners forged a deadly combination with Devon Titus and they scored 14 goals between them in seven games in all competitions.

Zwane said: 

While Chiefs had no representation in Hugo Broos’s Bafana Bafana team that got the four required points in the back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Liberia last week, Zwane had a few key players away on other national duty.

Zwane has had to prepare for Stellenbosch without Samkelo Zwane and Mduduzi Shabalala, who were with the Under-23 national team that failed to qualify for their age group Africa Cup of Nations after a 1-1 and 0-0 draw against Congo of Brazzaville.

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Chiefs striker Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana was away with the Burundi national team while Edmilson Dove represented Mozambique.

Zwane said: 

"We are prepared and we hope that our national team players are back without any niggling injuries."

The players' return to the club was imminent at the time of writing this article.