Bafana Bafana have been hit by a spate of injuries ahead of their crucial 2018 World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso on Saturday.
Not only was the captain Thulani Hlatshwayo - who plays for Bidvest Wits, forced to withdraw with a knee injury - but there are a couple more players who may not be available for the match.
Hlatshwayo's place has been taken by Cape Town City skipper, Robyn Johannes.
In Hlatshwayo's absence, Itumeleng Khune will captain the team. Khune, though, has a slight shoulder injury but he's expected to be fit for the match.
"Itu, to a less extent, has a shoulder injury, but that's one we can manage, we think," said Bafana coach Stuart Baxter, who's more worried about Andile Jali who too has a shoulder injury to shrug off.
"Jali is a bit more of an issue, because he dislocated his shoulder [playing for Belgian side KV Oostende]. We don't know how severely, but we will be doing an MRI [magnetic resonance imaging] on it.
"He continued to play the full game but this is the third time it has happened and they have asked us if we can do an MRI to estimate the severity of the damage done this time," Baxter confirmed.
The other player who's racing against time to be fit for the match is SuperSport United striker, Bradley Grobler.
"Bradley has got a groin issue that we think is manageable and he will do normal training," Baxter added.
Injury-hit Bafana build up for Burkina tie
Bafana Bafana have been hit by a spate of injuries ahead of their crucial 2018 World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso on Saturday.
Not only was the captain Thulani Hlatshwayo - who plays for Bidvest Wits, forced to withdraw with a knee injury - but there are a couple more players who may not be available for the match.
Hlatshwayo's place has been taken by Cape Town City skipper, Robyn Johannes.
In Hlatshwayo's absence, Itumeleng Khune will captain the team. Khune, though, has a slight shoulder injury but he's expected to be fit for the match.
"Itu, to a less extent, has a shoulder injury, but that's one we can manage, we think," said Bafana coach Stuart Baxter, who's more worried about Andile Jali who too has a shoulder injury to shrug off.
"Jali is a bit more of an issue, because he dislocated his shoulder [playing for Belgian side KV Oostende]. We don't know how severely, but we will be doing an MRI [magnetic resonance imaging] on it.
"He continued to play the full game but this is the third time it has happened and they have asked us if we can do an MRI to estimate the severity of the damage done this time," Baxter confirmed.
The other player who's racing against time to be fit for the match is SuperSport United striker, Bradley Grobler.
"Bradley has got a groin issue that we think is manageable and he will do normal training," Baxter added.
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