DYNAMOS should brace themselves for an up-hill task in their bid to qualify for the second round of the African Champions League as they face tricky Tunisian side CA Birzetin, past winners of the Caf Cup Winners’ Cup.
Report by Own Correspondent
After navigating their way to the first round of the competition with a laboured 3-1 aggregate win over minnows Lesotho Correctional Services (LCS), the Zimbabwe champions will have their character put to the test once again when they visit the Tunisian side.
On the other hand, Birzetin drew 1-1 with Ittihad of Libya in the first leg, but managed a 1-0 win in the return leg on Saturday after Marouen Troudi struck the all important goal in the 24th minute.
The first leg will be played in Tunisia on the weekend of March 15-17 while the second takes place at Rufaro Stadium between April 5-7. Dynamos have perfected the art of being poor travellers.
Carrying a 3-0 lead from the first leg in Harare, Dynamos suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to lowly LCS in the preliminary round second leg tie in Maseru at the weekend, although they still managed to advance.
The champions have in the past two years, bombed out of the competition after leaking goals away from home.
In 2011, they led MC Alger of Algeria 4-1 from the first leg at Rufaro, but fell 3-0 in the return leg to bow out of the competition.
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Last season, they drew 1-1 with eventual African champions Espérance of Tunisia, but were embarrassed 6-0 in the return leg.
The 1998 Champions league finalists are now set to travel to Tunisia on March 16 for a date against Birzetin, who have won the Tunisia league four times.
Birzetin, who edged Libyan side Al-Ittihad 2-1 on aggregate to set a clash against DeMbare, have experience in Africa, having reached the second round of the African Cup of Champions Club way back in 1985.
They took part twice in the Caf Cup and reached the semi-finals in 1992 and the second round in 2000.
In the Caf Cup Winners’ Cup, they appeared two times and lifted the prestigious cup in 1988 and reached the second round the following year.
With their confidence rock bottom after the shock defeat to LCS, the Zimbabwe champions certainly need motivation ahead of the trip to Tunisia if they are to avoid exiting the tournament in the early stages.
Should they pull through, it’s back to North Africa again to face reigning champions Al Ahly of Egypt in the last round before the mini-league phase.
