Chronicle Editor
KAIZER Chiefs head coach Gavin Hunt hopes his charges will manage a gruelling schedule after one of his key players Khama Billiat picked up an injury at the weekend.
Billiat had to be substituted on the stroke of half-time in Chiefs’ 2-1 win over Mamelodi Sundowns in a titanic PSL match played at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday.
The Glamour Boys have now released a statement indicating the Zimbabwe international missed the clash against Chippa United yesterday afternoon.
Chiefs will head into the clash against Chippa minus Khama Billiat who picked up an injury that prevented him from finishing the game on Sunday,” a club statement read.
Billiat has struggled with injuries this season and spent three months on the sidelines after sustaining an injury in January.
Hunt raised his concerns about the mental strain his team has been under with Amakhosi set to play PSL and Caf Champions League matches next month.
“As I keep saying, the mental strain on the team is more important than the physical strain because of what happened last season,” Hunt said.
”Coming into this season, we had to get the mental attitude right and sometimes you need to get away from the game, but we have not been able to because we are travelling and playing every few days.”
Chiefs will take part in the two-legged Champions League quarter-final tie after finishing as runners-up in Group C behind Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca. The draw for the quarter-finals will take place tomorrow and Hunt says his charges need to be strong as Chiefs look to go all the way and clinch their maiden Champions League trophy.
“With a host of games still to come, I believe we will need to manage ourselves well over the next few weeks,” he continued.
“We are playing nine games in four weeks, and five of them are bus trips and possibly long aeroplane journey’s but we have to be strong and focus. It’s part and parcel of the game.”
The quarter-final first-leg matches are scheduled to be played between 14-15 May and the second-leg games will then take place between 21-22 May. – Goal.com.
Online Reporter