Bafana sweat on Khune ahead of Senegal clash
Bafana Bafana look likely to be without Itumeleng Khune for their two 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Senegal in Polokwane on Friday and in Dakar on November 14.
Itumeleng Khune of Kaizer Chiefs is stretched off during the 2017 Telkom Knockout game between Chippa United and Kaizer Chiefs at Nelson Mandela Stadium. (Deryck Foster/BackpagePix)
Kaizer Chiefs confirmed yesterday that Khune had fractured a bone in his face in the 1-0 win at Chippa United on Sunday in the Telkom KO quarterfinals.
The club said Khune would be seeing a specialist, but Chiefs physiotherapist Dave Milner told BBC Sport yesterday that Khune would be out for a month to six weeks.
The absence of Khune would be a huge blow to Bafana, in a game they simply have to win to have any chance of making it to Russia 2018. Victory over Senegal on Friday and in Dakar four days later will see Bafana to the World Cup finals, but anything else will not.
READ: Injured Khune doubtful for World Cup qualifier
Khune was excellent as he overcame a shoulder injury to captain Bafana as they beat Burkina Faso 3-1 at FNB Stadium last month to keep their qualifying hopes alive. The absence of a back-up keeper of the same quality, however, was highlighted in September, as with Khune out injured, Bafana lost both qualifiers to Cape Verde, with Ronwen Williams and Wayne Sandilands looking fallible.
Williams and Sandilands are the other two keepers in the squad to face Senegal and Sandilands has already had his confidence knocked following a poor display for Orlando Pirates against Mamelodi Sundowns last week.
None of the Kaizer Chiefs players in the squad actually flew with the side to Polokwane yesterday morning, as they were making their way back from the Eastern Cape and the win over Chippa.
Khune was injured in stoppage time at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium after a collision with Chippa’s Kurt Lentjies, with Daniel Cardoso forced to don the keeper’s jersey.
Baxter would surely call up a replacement in the event of Khune’s absence, and he could well turn to Bidvest Wits’ Darren Keet, who he initially said he would not call up, despite his return to action. Keet has only just recovered from a serious knee problem, but he excelled as Wits beat Baroka in the Telkom Knockout on Saturday, and his experience makes him the most natural replacement for the Bafana No 1.
Other options could be Baxter’s former goalkeeper at both Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport, Reyaad Pieterse, or Orlando Pirates back-up keeper Jackson Mabokgwane.
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