Kaizer Chiefs’ defence will receive a major boost following the return of experienced left-back Edmilson Dove ahead of their blockbuster clash against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.
The 31-year-old returns after recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon injury that he picked up during the club’s pre-season training camp in Turkiye.
“It hasn’t been an easy journey but, by the grace of God, I am running again. I want to thank the doctors and express my gratitude to the Club for all the resources that were put at my disposal to help me recover as soon as possible,” he told www.kaizerchiefs.com
“I also deeply appreciate the support from my teammates and the technical staff. It has really helped me a lot.”
Amakhosi have been experiencing all sorts of problems in their left-back position with Happy Mashiane being injury-prone while Bradley Cross has struggled to display the brilliance that made Chiefs sign him from Golden Arrows at the start of the season.
Thatayaone Ditlhokwe was a regular in that position before his departure to join the Libyan club Al-Ittihad in February. Following his exit, Chiefs’ exposure in that position led to a 4-1 baptism by SuperSport United.
Reflecting on Saturday’s game, Dove admitted the danger posed by Sundowns given the quality of their squad adding that they will not go down without a fight.
“Obviously, they are a good side. They have depth in their squad and have been on a good run, but as far as I am concerned, I don’t worry too much about the opposition because at the end of the day, what matters most is what we do.
“Our purpose is to be at our best to give a good account of ourselves because that is the part we can control. Obviously, we do analysis on our opponents, but we primarily focus on our own approach.”
He concluded by declaring that the team aims to reward the unwavering support of the fans who will attend the game with a performance and results worth celebrating.
“From the supporters, we cannot ask for more than they have been doing. They have been behind us through thick and thin and have never abandoned us even when things haven’t gone our way, so I want to commend them and let them know how much we appreciate their loyalty.
“Their support is very important to the team and they play a major part in everything we do on the field. Their singing from the stands lifts up our spirits and we implore them to keep supporting us because we need them,” the Mozambican concluded.