By Herman Gibbs 
Jun 23, 2021
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JOHANNESBURG – After their Casablanca conquest last weekend, trail-blazing Kaizer Chiefs, like hunting dogs, have picked the scent of the Caf Champions League victory trail.
And Wydad AC head coach Faouzi Benzarti has sensed that Chiefs have had a good sniff, and has wrapped his charges in cotton wool for their midweek match in Morocco’s domestic league.
He was nursing a knee injury and failed a fitness test hours before the team flew out to Casablanca last week.
Chiefs interim coach Arthur Zwane has confirmed “Lebo will be ready” for the second leg showdown at FNB Stadium.
Manyama’s prized asset is his pace when the team are in transition mode. It has caused back-pedalling defences problems in trying to contain him, and he does not need much time on the ball in the goalmouth to land a parting shot.
He seems to be bringing out the best in fellow veteran Bernard Parker, who has seemingly upped his game a notch or two after the departure of former coach Gavin Hunt.
Parker and Katsande will be fighting for midfield supremacy on Saturday, and if they succeed, Wydad’s attacking efforts will be hamstrung.
Zwane is likely to settle for seasoned campaigners when deciding on his starting XI, but he cannot easily discard the selection claims of youngsters like Njabulo Blom, Nkosingiphile Ngcobo and Darrel Matsheke.
He also covered well when his fellow defenders were drawn out of position.
He has also shown a penchant for stalking into the attack for deadball plays, and on occasions has been potent in the strike zone.
Chiefs were hoping for more good news on the injury front, but Khama Billiat and Dumisani Zuma have yet to recover fully.
Chiefs hold a 1-0 aggregate advantage going into Saturday’s second leg.
@MihlaliBaleka
IOL Sport