Rejuvenated Gunners may go into their Premier Soccer League clash against a beleaguered Dynamos side at Lafarge Stadium tomorrow with a rare status of pre-match favourites, but Chando Kupisa’s communications manager Obert Chunga is having none of it.
Rather, Chunga fears that a wounded Dynamos side will be determined to put their wobbly campaign back on the rails.
Before the break of the league programme three weeks ago, Gunners had been enjoying their moment in the sun, collecting seven points out of a possible 12. In contrast, Dynamos have collected just six points from a possible 15, a record that has raised a lot of dust in their camp with a section of their supporters calling for coach Kalisto Pasuwa’s head.
However, Chunga reckons that Dynamos are at their most dangerous when they are seemingly looking down and out.
“This is Dynamos we are playing, not any other team. They are wounded, but, who knows, they might come charging at us. They have good players who will be looking to prove everyone wrong. The biggest mistake any team can do is to look into the form book when they are playing Dynamos. With Dynamos, every game is a new game so we will not approach this with a complacent attitude,” said Chunga.
Pasuwa, who got a lifeline early this week when the club’s chairman Keni Mubaiwa came out publicly in full support of the under-fire coach, will be looking at this match as a must-win fixture for two crucial reasons. He has to win the match to calm the impatient fans who are apparently beginning to doubt his capabilities.
But, more crucially, Pasuwa cannot afford to drop too many points at this stage as his team might not get a chance to catch up with tear-away log leaders Highlanders who have been playing brilliant football since the start of the season.
Dynamos have 14 points, a massive nine points behind Bosso, while Gunners trail their opponents tomorrow by goal difference.
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The two teams have a player each suspended for the match with Dynamos missing the influential Denver Mukamba, who was red-carded in his team’s last match, while Gunners will be without defender Farai Chirinda for similar reasons.
Both sides have called for calm from their supporters ahead of the match.
Dynamos Supporters’ Association chairman Felix Dzukwa condemned the behaviour of the section of fans who mobbed Mubaiwa after the team’s 1-0 loss to Harare City on Wednesday while Chunga said they wanted to make tomorrow’s match a “family outing”.
“We want to make the event more than just a soccer match but a family outing. We will have a lot of activities going on during the day. The gates will open at 0900hrs and there will be a match between Gunners Under-12 and a Mabvuku Under-12 select side.
Thereafter we will have musician Tryson Chimbetu performing. That will be followed by a curtain-raiser match between Gunners reserves who will play against a Division Two side. Before the main match, we will have some corporates exhibiting their products and giving away prizes. People should come early and in their numbers to enjoy themselves,” said Chunga.
Dzuwa said: “What happened at Rufaro should not be repeated again. As the supporters’ association, we will have our own people in the crowd to look out for any deviant elements. Anyone who will be caught misbehaving will be handed over to the police.”
