Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp looked calm and collected at training session on Wednesday morning, and was equally comfortable when addressing the media at the clubs weekly press briefing, which followed the training session.

The Chiefs coach is confident that his charges will be able to come through Saturday’s crunch PSL encounter with defending league champions Mamelodi Sundowns and leave the FNB Stadium with the much-vaunted three points.

As preparations for the game were kicked up a notch on Wednesday The Amakhosi had to do so without David Obua, Tinashe Nengomasha, Derrick Spencer and David Mathebula.

Chiefs player of the year last season David Obua who scored a goal on each occasion when Chiefs met Sundowns during the 2005-2006 season, including a spectacular free kick when Chiefs were eventually defeated 3-1 by Sundowns on the 22nd February in Tshwane (Pretoria).

The Chiefs utility man was away over the past weekend with the Ugandan national team, as they played to a goalless draw against Niger in Niamey. Because of the fact that there are no direct flights between South Africa and Niger, Obua has had to come back via Kenya, which has meant that it has taken him longer than originally expected to get back to South Africa.

Although he has had to prepare for Saturday’s clash with Sundowns without Obua, Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp, does believe that Obua will remain a part of his plans for Saturday’s crucial game.

“It is not ideal to have to do all your work for this game without a key player like Obua around, these kind of things happen in life and I know that being the kind of player that he is David will knuckle down to work when he gets back”.

Chiefs are expecting Obua to be back in the country sometime late Wednesday afternoon, and should be at training on Thursday morning.

In the meantime Chiefs physiotherapist David Milner has confirmed that midfielder Tinashe Nengomasha will be given a fitness test late on Friday, to assess whether he will be able to participate in Saturday’s game.

This after Tinashe picked up an injury when playing for the Zimbabwean national team over the weekend, in a one nil loss to Malawi Blantyre. Other injury casualties for the week are Derrick Spencer and David Mathebula, Milner is confident that both players should be fit for the weekend’s game.