Black Leopards are likely to unleash striker Kingston Nkhata on Motor Action as the struggling South African football side aim to atone for their disappointing show in the domestic premier league.They need to prove their mettle in the Caf Confederation Cup.
“Lidoda Duvha”, as they are affectionately known by their supporters, anchor the Absa Premiership log standings with a paltry 11 points from 17 matches and are a sure bet to make a quick return to the Mvela League.
However, there is a general belief in the Leopards camp that a good run in the Confederation Cup will make up for the disappointing season so far.
The Heric Vladislav-coached side are expected to arrive in Harare on Thursday for the preliminary round, second leg qualifier against the Mighty Bulls, knowing fully well that anything short of victory will not be enough to please their distraught fans. The tie is delicately balanced at 1-1 from the first leg that was played at Peter Mokaba Stadium two weeks ago. Leopards blamed their poor showing in the first leg on their impotent strike force that plundered the several chances that came their way throughout the match.
The same problem has affected them on the local front, as they have scored a mere 16 goals in 17 outings.
This, they argue, has been caused by the absence of some of their regular strikers through injuries, among them Nkhata.
The former Buymore and Caps FC striker has been battling an ankle injury and returned to action late last month.
He, however, missed the first leg against Motor Action as he was “rested” for a league match against Bloemfontein Celtic.
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Nkhata’s first contribution for his club since returning from the long lay-off was scoring a brace, albeit in a 4-3 loss to Ajax Cape Town last month.
The bustling tall forward was at hand again last Saturday when he scored the first goal for his club to force a 2-2 draw against Celtic. Vladislav will no doubt be pinning his hopes on Nkhata, hoping that the big centre forward will continue with his good form on Saturday, in a match that they just can’t afford to lose.
Nkhata’s fellow countryman Zvenyika Makonese will not make the shot trip across Limpopo as he is not registered for the competition.
