Mhango is set to miss the encounter against his former employers in the Nedbank Cup at Orlando Stadium on Sunday afternoon (15h30) due to a yellow-card suspension.
The Malawian international, who has scored 14 goals in 18 league matches for Pirates this season, picked up a fourth booking after scoring a brace against Chippa United last week.
Given the 27-year-old's devastating form since Zinnbauer's arrival in December, his absence is thought to be a massive blow to their hopes of advancing beyond the Clever Boys.
However, the German remained poised when quizzed about losing 'Gaba' and believes he has the necessary arsenal to overcome what will be his first knockout match in the PSL.
"We know Gaba is a big player for us in the moment, but we have good players in the second line, and now it's a chance for those players," said Zinnbauer.
"They've had to wait for their chances, and we feel there have been some very good performances from the strikers in the training sessions at the moment.
"We will see. I hope I have a good selection and we have the next player that comes in to score goals."
Though Mhango has the deadliest strike-rate amongst players that have played 10 games or more this season, scoring a goal every 92 minutes.
He is closely followed by his teammate Tshegofatso Mabasa, who has scored a goal every 102 minutes.