Kaizer Chiefs' Absa Premiership opener against Jomo Cosmos tomorrow at Soccer City will be out of character for Amakhosi.

There will be nothing "glamour" about the way Chiefs will kick off their Premier League season, with coach Vladimir Vermezovic warning of a dirty game against newly promoted Cosmos.

According to the Amakhosi coach, games played in previous seasons between Chiefs and Cosmos have been too physical, some prompting forced substitutions.

"Injuries sustained through [minimal] contact are normal in football, but games against Cosmos always take it too far.

"There's no secret in how we play football at Chiefs, but don't be surprised if my players get more bookings than Cosmos on Saturday," said Vermezovic.

The last time the two teams met was in the Serb's first season at Chiefs in 2009, with Amakhosi winning their home game 2-1 and drawing 2-2 with Cosmos away.

There have never been more than three goals in a match between Chiefs and Cosmos in the Premier League since 2005 and flying tackles usually predominate.

"The fitness levels of my players has impressed me since we started with pre-season matches. We can compete at a high-tempo level," said Vermezovic.

"We won't go out to take out legs in the Cosmos match, but if the game is as physical as we expect, we will have to respond likewise."

Chiefs will be short of hard men, with midfielder Reneilwe Letsholonyane out for at least four weeks. A former Cosmos player, Letsholonyane was injured in one of Amakhosi's pre-season matches and withdrawn from Bafana's midweek win against Burkina Faso.

Vermezovic expressed concerns about his back four - Thomas Sweswe, Keegan Ritchie, Dominic Isaacs and skipper Jimmy Tau.

"They were not at their best against Wits. I think Ritchie still needs time to settle because he is from Moroka Swallows and they have a different culture to the one at Chiefs.

"They have to improve in the next match for us to be serious about winning the title," he said.