CONFIRMED: New Chiefs striker to debut off the bench

Kaizer Chiefs have received a huge boost ahead of their first home game in Polokwane with the confirmation that new signing, Christian Saile Basomboli, has been granted his work permit, making it possible for him to play for the team.

The Democratic Republic of Congo-born striker arrived at Chiefs a week ago from Nchanga Rangers in Zambia, where he scored 19 goals for the club last season, helping them gain promotion to Super League. He managed to find the back of the net seven times this season before moving to Chiefs.

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It’s now been revealed by Arthur Zwane that Amakhosi’s new signing will be part of the matchday squad on Sunday evening.

“We will have Christian available, though we will start him on the bench and give him a chance to adapt. He looks fresh,” Zwane commented.

“The good thing is that he has been playing. He doesn’t come from a situation where we still have to manage him but we don’t want to put him under pressure. We want him to learn from others a little bit so that when he goes in there, he goes in with confidence to try and help us solve our problem of scoring goals.”

Zwane added that he was also positive about the overall state of the Chiefs squad.

“The boys look fresh. I see a lot of positive energy in them, which will work for us given the fact that we are desperate to get maximum points. In the way we want to express ourselves within our structure, I’m happy with what I see. I just hope we can take this into the game.”

This news of Basomboli’s debut comes at an opportune time, as the team has battled in front of goal during the last three games.

The DStv Premiership action between the Glamour Boys and Royal starts at 17:30 at Peter Mokaba Stadium.

As it is, injury plagued Chiefs will be desperate to avoid a fourth successive defeat when they face Royal AM.

Amakhosi come into this clash after defeats to Sundowns, AmaZulu and Sekhukhune, which has largely derailed their season.

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Another defeat would equal Chiefs’ worst ever sequence of losses, an unfavourable mark they set in April last year when they lost four games on the bounce.

Injuries have not been kind to Chiefs, with someone like Eric Mathoho having made just a single substitute appearance this season after struggling to enjoy full fitness, while Khama Billiat is not expected back any time soon.

Zwane has reflected on the absence of Mathoho due to persistent injuries, the last of which was a toe issue.

“Eric is definitely still part and parcel [of the squad]. He played a huge role in the past and even now,” Zwane said. “He is just unfortunate, and not only him. He is one of the players who have been injury-prone this season. It’s him and players such as Khama [Billiat] as well.

“Even last week we were preparing him [Mathoho] for the game, or two weeks back if I’m not mistaken, and he couldn’t make it because of a toe injury.

“We thought he would be fully recovered last week and again he started jogging and we thought he was ready, but it troubled him. We had to rest him and until now he hasn’t recovered fully.”

It’s expected that Chiefs will have to perform without some key players once again this weekend, and there is no doubt that Billiat has particularly been a big loss to the side.

“There are about five or six senior players who have [been injured], which is worrying but we can’t force matters. We have to wait for them to be ready and then throw them in,” Zwane said. “We know they can add value, but it’s unfortunate they are not available because of injuries.”

CHIEFS ARE PRECARIOUSLY PLACED ON THE LOG

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