Dynamos and Highlanders clash in the Castle Lager Premiership at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday with little to suggest the match will turn out to be a classic encounter between the country’s most successful clubs.
If anything, the match has already been overshadowed by the three matches Dynamos have played against Caps United this season in Harare that have attracted basically 25 000 fans per game.
And going into the match, Dynamos’ championship aspirations have been pegged back by the 1-0 loss to Masvingo on Sunday while Highlanders, after being held to a 1-1 draw by Shooting Stars at home, seem to be facing problems off the pitch.
The Harare giants lie in second place with 45 points, four off leaders FC Platinum, who will obviously be happy to see another stumble on Sunday while Highlanders are a distant fifth with 39 points.
Platinum, on the other hand could step on a banana peel against Gunners at Lafarge on Saturday while third-placed defending champions Motor Action will be looking to end their horror show of the last five games when they clash with Shabanie Mine at Maglas on Sunday.
But focus will be firmly on the two biggest names in local football at Rufaro where Dynamos have enjoyed a fine run of five wins from five games under new coach Callisto Pasuwa.
Since the turn of the millennium, it has been an interesting battle between the two teams with Dynamos dominating the exchanges until the 2011 loss to the Bulawayo outfit in the Independence Trophy final on April 18.
That aside, it has been Dynamos on a good run, starting in 2000 when they picked up four points with 3-0 home win and 0-0 draw away.
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Highlanders though managed to turn the tables the following season after a 1-1 draw at Barbourfields, winning 1-0 at Rufaro.
In 2002, Dynamos again picked up four points, winning 1-0 at Barbourfields (BF) after 0-0 draw in Harare. The 2003 season was a watershed season as Dynamos completed a double winning 3-0 at BF and 2-0 in Harare.
It was impossible to stop Dynamos, either home or away at that stage — what with the likes of Francis Chandida, Agent Sawu, Edmore Mufema and Musareka Jenitala among others. For now, Dynamos does not have anyone that can match this quartet.
It was Highlanders turn to collect six points in the 2004 season as they won 2-1 at BF and 1-0 in Harare before the two teams shared the spoils the following season when Caps United won the league and cup double for the second year running.
Highlanders did complete another double in 2006 under Methembe Ndlovu winning 0-1 in Harare and 2-0 at BF collecting 34 points from a possible 36 in the opening 12 matches.
They had all the players they needed: Tapuwa Kapini, Gilbert Banda, Zephaniah Ngodzo, Johannes Ngodzo, Honour Gombami, Vusa Nyoni and Ralph Matema, among others.
Dynamos collected four points in 2007 on their way to winning the league title, before they shared the spoils the following season.
They then collected six points in 2009, winning 4-0 in Harare and 1-0 in Bulawayo and continued their dominance last season with 3-0 and 1-0 wins.
Looking at the two teams today, there is very little talent that can measure up to that of Kapini, Sawu, Gombami, Chandida, Ngodzo and Jenitala.
Just a glance at the two teams’ line-ups over the weekend will tell you a sad story that will make football fans accept at the end of Sunday’s match, one team will walk away with three points, but there will be no value in the match, no entertainment, no skill, no innovativeness, no game changer, but just a plain three-point game.
Maybe, just maybe, Dynamos can look to Cuthbert Malajila, Washington Arubi, Archford Gutu and Denver Mukamba for a return to winning ways.
For Highlanders, it can only be skipper Gilbert Banda, Graham Ncube, Erick Mudzingwa and the new junior, Knox Mutizwa.
But can the match really shake football — can it bring back the glorious entertaining days? Only Sunday will tell.
