Ernst Middendorp admitted that it is painful to lose one of his most important players for the upcoming clash against Mamelodi Sundowns.
Samir Nurkovic picked up his fourth yellow-card booking this evening in a 1-1 Absa Premiership draw against Stellenbosch FC at the Orlando Stadium.
The Serbian striker is one of the most influential players in the Amakhosi set-up, but now he will have to serve his one-match suspension in arguably the biggest game of the Soweto giants' title race.
Chiefs will lock horns with Sundowns on August 27; a clash which in all likelihood will decide who ends up lifting the Absa Premiership trophy at the end of the season.
But Middendorp will have to do so without Nurkovic, with the German mentor admitting to being a bit irked at the fact that it became a big talking point before their match got underway today.
"I was quite impressed, putting the tv on in the morning and seeing that the main target was talking about how many players Kaizer Chiefs have on yellow cards," he told the media after the game.
"So I don't know actually, is it by accident, I haven't seen it before that it was so highlighted and the issue of the entire news starting in the morning until the end and now okay, Samir Nurkovic with a simple and easy one against one, he gets a yellow card in the final minutes."
"Is it by accident or is it something which can happen? But we take it, we deal with it but it is irritating when you see this process that it starts in the morning and it gets discussed."
"It is a huge loss, there is no doubt about it, at the moment, we must look at how to find a solution, as we know, certain players in particular in the forward movement are not on their best. Let me try to find solutions inside the squad we have, in which way we can strategize it but it is definitely something that it is very painful for us."
