Kaizer Chiefs coach, Stuart Baxter, has talked about his plans for the Glamour Boys' tough opening three games of the second half of the campaign. Chiefs will face Mamelodi Sundowns on January 23 which will be followed by a clash with SuperSport United on February 5.
Amakhosi will thereafter take on Namibian outfit, Black Africa, in the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League campaign on February 8. Chiefs are currently hard at work undergoing preparations at Naturena although the club are without Bernard Parker, Itumeleng Khune, Tefu Mashamaite and Siphiwe Tshabalala due to national team commitments.
This situation Baxter admits isn't something that's ideal. He told the club's official website, "When players go away to the national team, they meet with different teammates and play a different role. Even if the national team coach is good, the coaching environment will be different. It is a challenge for both the players that leave to the national team and those that are left behind. This is the matter that we have to approach seriously.”
Nevertheless, the 60-year-old coach believes Chiefs will be ready for the challenge of the tough opening three games of the new year.
He added, “It is a matter of one game at a time. They are all very difficult games. We will work out a plan to rotate the players and get fresh legs for each game. Against Sundowns and SuperSport, we must get as many points as we can from both games. The CAF game against the Namibian Team will equally be important for us and we will prepare to do our best there as well."
