Top flight clubs are usually tempted to play young or fringe players against lower division opponents in the Nedbank Cup, but this week's Friday Debate questions if Soweto giants can afford to make too many changes, giving the history they have of upsets in the competition.
Amakhosi start their Nedbank Cup campaign with a clash against Motsepe Foundation Championship team Milford on Sunday, the players will be aware of the times the club was embarrassed by lower division opponents, including the likes of Baroka FC and TS Galaxy, who are now in the top flight.
Interim coach Cavin Johnson could be tempted to play some of their fringe player, but can Amakhosi afford to take that risk? Three individuals give their opinion on the matter ahead of Sunday's clash.
Mokete Tsotetsi - former Chiefs defender
Someone like Vilakazi is a good player and he is proving that he is ready to play. He did well in the Carling Cup, so I think they should look into giving others an opportunity because all the players they have in the team are quality players. If they are given a chance, they need to prove that they are ready to work for the coach. They should not make too many changes because they still need to keep their momentum.
Mohau Tladi - Chiefs supporter
I would like to see some of the youngsters playing, but judging from what we have seen when Kaizer Chiefs play against these smaller sides over the last years, we have always struggled. So, I think it's best for Chiefs to go all out. They should use their strongest possible line-up and get to the next round. Personally, I would like to see Mfundo Vilakazi play and also bring back Samkelo Zwane. But we should not underestimate Milford. Let's just go out there with our strongest possible line-up.
Tshemedi Molopo - Chiefs supporter
Chiefs, at this moment, don't have the luxury to be experimenting. They can't take that type of risk because already this is the last silverware that they can clinch because the league is already gone. They did not do well in other competitions, so they don't have the luxury. They will have to put out their best team for the day. The other thing they will need to avoid is getting knocked out early, especially by another NFD side. At this moment, I don't think they can afford to do that because it will end in chaos and it will sum up as the season as a disastrous one, without even looking at where they might finish in the league. They will have to go all out and win convincingly so because their last outing (against Royal AM) was not up there in terms of the expectation from the supporters. They will have to go score goals and hopefully try to build some momentum for this tournament.
