Under pressure Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane has bemoaned injuries to key players as he tries to avoid a fourth successive defeat in a row when the AmaKhosi welcome Royal AM to the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Sunday.

Another defeat would equal Chiefs’ worst ever sequence of defeats, a mark they set in April last year when they lost four games on the bounce.

It is tough times at Naturena, with Zwane admitting their plight has not been helped by injuries to two of their most experienced players.

Stalwart central defender Erick Mathoho has made just a single substitute appearance this season, sitting on the bench eight times in all competitions, including the 4-0 loss to AmaZulu a fortnight ago.

Zwane says his continued absence from the team is due to persistent injuries, the last of which was a toe issue.

“Eric is definitely still part and parcel [of the squad]. He played a huge role in the past and even now,” Zwane said. “He is just unfortunate, and not only him. He is one of the players who have been injury-prone this season. It’s him and players such as Khama [Billiat] as well.

“Even last week we were preparing him [Mathoho] for the game, or two weeks back if I’m not mistaken, and he couldn’t make it because of a toe injury.

“We thought he would be fully recovered last week and again he started jogging and we thought he was ready, but it troubled him. We had to rest him and until now he hasn’t recovered fully.”

Billiat has also been a big loss to the side as he has not appeared since the resumption of the league after the World Cup.

“There are about five or six senior players who have [been inured], which is worrying but we can’t force matters. We have to wait for them to be ready and then throw them in.

“We know they can add value, but it’s unfortunate they are not available because of injuries.”