Cape Town - Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp says his medical department advised him to rest Samir Nurkovic, Siphosakhe Ntiya-Ntiya, Reeve Frosler, and George Maluleka last weekend.
Amakhosi beat Mamelodi Sundowns 4-2 in the Shell Helix Ultra Cup final at FNB Stadium on Saturday, before a 2-0 defeat to Bloemfontein Celtic in the Macufe Cup the following day.
Nurkovic, Ntiya-Ntiya, Frosler, and Maluleka all watched on from the sidelines as they continued their respective recoveries from injury.
The decision seems to have panned out nicely for Chiefs as all four men will be available for the Telkom Knockout last-16 clash with Cape Town City at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
"We definitely had a long chat on Friday, late afternoon at FNB to say, 'How advisable is it to bring George, Reeve, Samir, and Ntiya-Ntiya?'," Middendorp told the press on Wednesday.
"The medical department said it was a risk. They said if they can get another four, five days' training, starting now, we can have an input in terms of loading.
"We decided not to use them in those matches and today they can go into full training sessions, meaning they will be available for selection on Saturday."
Kick-off is at 15:00.