FC Platinum coach Rahman Gumbo has named an experienced and strong squad for Sundays Caf Champions League football match against Green Mamba set for Somhlolo Stadium in Mbabane, Swaziland.
The platinum miners, who are making their debut in the Caf inter-clubs competition, leave this morning via Johannesburg, South Africa, and will connect to Mbabane late afternoon.
They will have two full days of training and acclimatisation in the kingdom.
Save for Louis Matawu and Benjamin Marere, all new signings, most of them with African football experience, made the grade.
Gilbert Banda, Qadr Amini, Rowen Nenzou, Allen Gahadzikwa, Welcome Ndiweni, Francis Tizayi, Hardlife Mawundi, Mitchelle Katsvairo and Ali Sadiki were included in the final 18-man travelling squad.
Banda has seen international duty with Highlanders and was Zimbabwes first captain in the inaugural Chan Championships in 2009, Nenzou has also played for the national team before while Amini has been on and off with the Warriors and also played for former club Gunners in the Champions League.
Gahadzikwa returns to the stage after being part of Motor Actions failed campaign last year where they were booted out by Asec Mimosas of Ivory Coast.
Regulars Tafadzwa Dube, Thabani Kamusoko, Zephaniah and Joel Ngodzo, Charles Sibanda, and Donald Ngoma make up the rest of the team, which is seeking to leave a mark in Africa on their debut.
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Mamba have hired former Dynamos coach Lloyd Mutasa, replacing Francis Banda, who has now been unhappily moved to the position of technical adviser. Mamba, a prison service team, played an international friendly match against Maxaquene of Mozambique over the weekend and won 2-0.
Besides Mutasa, there are also two Zimbabweans in the team in goalkeeper Zondai Nyaungwa and midfielder Stanford Ncube, who used to turn out for Dynamos and Njube Sundowns respectively.
Ncube told the media last week they would give Platinum a good run for their money and would go into the match in search of a win.
We are ready for FC Platinum, and will be looking at nothing less than victory. We are definitely progressing to the next stage at their expense. We will not be their push-overs, said the former junior national team midfielder, who left Zimbabwe six years ago.
But Platinum spokesman Phil Muvengwa said they were not worried about the Zimbabweans there.
We are actually excited that we will be playing them. If you look at our team, it is a mixture of youth and experience and I am hopeful, this will give us a good result, he said yesterday.
FC Platinum squad Tafadzwa Dube, Francis Tizayi, Zephaniah Ngodzo, Gilbert Banda, Daniel Vheremu, Qadr Amini, Simon Shoko, Kabby Kamhapa, Thabani Kamusoko, Joel Ngodzo, Welcome Ndiweni, Allen Gahadzikwa, Hardlife Mawundi, Charles Sibanda, Donald Ngoma, Rowen Nenzou, Mitchelle Katsvairo, Ali Sadiki.
