Coach Ernst Middendorp was upbeat as he stepped off the pitch after his team’s pre-match training on Friday. “I’ve seen a lot of things from Baroka’s play. They seem to be good travelers; they collect points on their away matches. They will however find us on guard and ready for them,” he said.

Table-topping Kaizer Chiefs will tonight host the Limpopo based side Baroka FC in an Absa Premiership clash. “We played in a robust match against AmaZulu on Tuesday,” adds Middendorp. “We will go through some overnight medical checkups and decide the readiness of some of the players that received some knocks on Tuesday.”

Samir Nurkovic, Siphosakhe Ntiya-Ntiya and Reeve Frosler were substituted during the AmaZulu match with an assortment of injuries.

With Lamontville Golden Arrows following on Tuesday, 1 October, Middendorp vows: “Our focus is Baroka. We go full steam tonight and we will only start our preparations for Arrows tomorrow. With games coming so close, we work hard on the freshness of the players. They are responding well and I’m sure we will give a good performance tonight.”

The match takes place at FNB Stadium and kick-off is 18:00. Tickets are still available from Computicket and Shoprite/Checkers stores nationwide.