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Confed Cup dilemma for Johnson

Cape Town - With Platinum Stars still in with a shot at earning a top-eight finish in the Premiership, coach Cavin Johnson faces a CAF Confederation Cup selection dilemma.

Dikwena are set to travel to Swaziland to face Mbabane Swallows for the second game of their 2017 CAF Confederation Cup Group B campaign, following a 1-1 draw with MC Alger a fortnight ago.

In the game against the Algerians, Johnson elected not to field all his first-choice players, and then saw a more regular-looking Stars team going on to beat Kaizer Chiefs 2-0 in their next domestic match.

Johnson was naturally pleased at beating the Soweto giants, saying: "We played against the best team in the country, they played good football. They don't allow you to move.

"First-half we got it right. We were able to get behind them, we took our chances and we scored our two goals."

In 10th spot, Stars need to win against SuperSport on Saturday and hope that other results go their way on the final day in order to qualify for next season's money-spinning MTN8 competition.

As such, Johnson may well mix up his side for Tuesday afternoon's clash against an Mbabane Swallows side that lost their opening match 0-1 away to CS Sfaxien.

Five-time Swaziland Premier League champions Swallows have together with Royal Leopards been the dominant force in their country over the last decade.

The likes of Tony Tsabedze and Wonder Nhleko may be familiar faces to some of the Dikwena contingent, having previously played in the South African top flight.

Swallows have been regular competitors in Africa over the last 11 years, but this is the first time they've gone as far as the group phase.

Stars midfielder Kobamelo Kodisang is away on U20 World Cup duty while striker Ndumiso Mabena has been out injured recently for Stars, but otherwise Johnson should have a full squad to choose from.

Kick off is at 15:00 (SA time).

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