The race for the sole Premier Soccer league ticket has reached fever pitch in the Zifa Northern Region Division One league with at least five teams still battling for the top position with nine games left to play.
Only one team gets promoted into the top-flight league at the end of the season.
FC Laliga, Black Rhinos, Highfield United, Harare City and DStv all still have a realistic chance of getting promotion as there is no huge gap separating these top sides.
Laliga and Black Rhinos share the top spot with 34 points and have an equal goal difference of +11 while seemingly unstoppable Highfield United are just two points behind.
Dark horses Harare City and DStv Rangers are on 31 and 30 points respectively and if the two sides continue to grind out results as have been their norm of late, they can sneak in to the title.
Early pacesetters Mwana Africa on 29 points and position five, have disappointingly fizzled out of the race and a 3-0 whacking at the hands of Nesbert Saruchera’s Rhinos last week underlined the state of affairs at the Bindura-based team.
Log leaders Laliga whose boat has hit some turbulent waters of late with a string of draws have a perfect opportunity to breathe a new lease of life into their faltering campaign when they visit second-from-the-bottom Commando Bullets at Once Commando this afternoon.
This is a game Naison Muchekela’s side should win at all cost because any other result will make them surrender the top spot to the trailing teams. Second-placed Rhinos will have a keen eye on that game and pray their fellow army side will do them a huge favour by beating Laliga. Rhinos will then play tricky DC Academy at Gwanzura Stadium tomorrow.
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High-riding Highfield United, unbeaten in their last nine games, will seek to add struggling BACA in their growing list of casualties when the two teams clash this afternoon.
The flamboyand side — powered by the finances of Twalumba Holdings — started the season on a low, losing matches with shocking regularity and many pundits had already spelt doom on them, but have suddenly turned around the corner.
Another win for them today, coupled by a loss to the leading pair, will see the well-sponsored team assuming pole position for the first time this season.
At the bottom of the log, Cossy Rules have six points from 16 games and are almost out of the league. After picking up a point against third-from-the-bottom BACA last week, they have a daunting task when they face a wounded Mwana Africa.
Commando Bullets, who have 12 points and BACA at 16, complete the second tier league’s haunted trio.
