Billiat has returned to training, running, but has yet to participate in full-contact sessions, leaving his hopes of appearing in next week’s titanic showdown against Al Ahly hanging by a thread.
He is the only member of the Chiefs team who has previously participated in a CAF Champions League final, as Mamelodi Sundowns defeated Zamalek to win the continental title in 2016.
Billiat started both games, playing a little over an hour at home before being replaced with five minutes left in the return leg, despite the fact that he did not score. The 30-year-old has made five appearances in the lengthy Champions League campaign, which concludes on July 17, owing primarily to injury issues.
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On April 10, he scored the equalizer that guaranteed Chiefs’ progress into the quarterfinals for the first time in the club’s history away against Horoya. While he may not play in the final, he is likely to go to Casablanca with the club’s whole team in expectation of capturing their first Champions League championship.
Billiat’s last competitive game came on April 25 against Sundowns, and a leg injury forced him to miss the next 11 games in all competitions during a season in which he also missed 15 games.
Leonardo Castro, who was also a member of that continental campaign, missed the whole knockout process due to an ankle ailment, and this will be his first final participation.
Ramahlwe Mphahlele, another part of the historic Downs side, joined Amakhosi midway through the season and so did not play beyond the preliminary round matches against AS Vita Club. Daniel Akpeyi was also a member of Nigerian team Heartlands’ roster when they lost the 2009 Champions League final against TP Mazembe, although he did not participate in both legs despite joining only a few months before.
https://thekosibay.co.za/589/sport/football/psl/billiat-must-go-he-gave-us-nothing/
