More injury woes for SuperSport

SuperSport United face losing a second regular centre back and having to play with a makeshift defence at the weekend after Thatayaone Ditlhokwe hurt his back on Tuesday away against Cape Town City.

The Botswana captain had to be substituted in the first half of the 1-0 win over the home side in the DStv Premiership after falling awkwardly after an aerial challenge.

Coach Gavin Hunt said he feared Ditlhokwe could miss the game against Lamontville Golden Arrows in Durban on Saturday, joining his regular back four partner Thulani Hlatshwayo on the sidelines.

Hlatshwayo had 23 stitches in a cut on the side of his face after a head collision in last weekend’s game against Marumo Gallants and will be out for at least two weeks. He also suffered concussion, which is not the first time for Hlatshwayo, which Hunt said was a major cause for concern.

“It looks as if the two centre backs are going to be out for some time and we’ve got another two away games in a row. So it's going to be backs to the wall stuff,” the coach predicted.

After Saturday’s match in Durban, SuperSport have a derby against champions Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on January 16.