CHAMPIONS Dynamos face a defensive crisis ahead of their Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match against Sunday Chidzambwa’s ZPC Kariba at Rufaro Stadium tomorrow with their regular centre-backs set to miss the clash.
BY HENRY MHARA
Augustine Mbara, the team’s captain, is definitely out of the match serving a suspension while his centre-back partner Sydney Linyama sat out the team’s training session yesterday with an ankle problem.
The towering defender had an ice pack strapped on his right ankle for the duration of the session.
Another defender, Blessing Moyo, who arrived back in the country on Thursday from trials with South African Premiership side Bidvest Wits University, also sat out training with an ankle problem.
Coach Tonderai Ndiraya confirmed Moyo was out of the match, but was still hopeful that Linyama would recover in time.
“Sydney had a knock yesterday (Thursday) at training and we rested him today (yesterday). The injury doesn’t look serious and we expect to have him on Sunday. We rested him so that he does not aggravate the injury. It was basically a precautionary measure, he should be OK,” said Ndiraya.
He added that they would miss Mbara, but was quick to stress that his absence was not a major blow to the team as they “have able replacements”.
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The good news in the Dynamos camp is the return of Ronald Chitiyo who has been out of action for over a month now with an injury.
The star midfielder started training with the team last week, but was only certified to play this week.
Another injury boost for Dynamos is that of Masimba Mambare who returns after missing his team’s last two matches — a 1-0 win over WhaWha in the Chibuku Super Cup first round last Sunday and a penalty shoot-out victory over a ZDF Select team to lift the Defence Forces Cup on Tuesday.
“No doubt they are some of our best players and their return to the team will further strengthen the side,” said Ndiraya.
“Ronald has been pivotal in most of our matches. We expect him to come back with a refreshed mind. He has been out for quite some time so he is like a new signing to us and we hope he is going to add more power to the team.”
There will certainly be many sub-plots in this encounter, but it is the clash between Ndiraya and his former coach Chidzambwa, who returned to local football after 16 years, which will be very interesting.
Chidzambwa is widely regarded as the best coach the country has produced after guiding Dynamos to the CAF Champions League final in 1998 and the Warriors to their first ever Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2004.
Ndiraya was an integral part of that 1998 Dynamos squad and he has nothing but respect for his former boss.
“Sunday is a well-respected coach, one of the best ever produced in the country,” said Ndiraya.
“I respect him not just as a person, but for what he has done for the country so we are bracing for a very tough challenge against a very experienced coach. Because of his stature and his CV, we expect his team to be very organised. I came through his hands and he is one person who knows his stuff so we know what he can do. He has added some few players to the squad and we know he will come stronger. We expect a very different and a new ZPC Kariba side.
“But having said that, we also take confidence from what we have done in the previous two cup matches. In the last eight league matches we have drawn and won one so we are looking at improving that record, starting with the game against ZPC Kariba,” added Ndiraya.
Chidzambwa insists that there are no emotions attached to the match.
“I am a former Dynamos player and coach. Now I am at ZPC Kariba and I see this meeting on Sunday against my former team like any other league match. I will just treat it as such,” said Chidzambwa.
Another ZPC Kariba man who will be facing his former club is Thomas Sweswe. The defender left Dynamos in 2009 for South Africa, before resurfacing in Kariba last month.
Sweswe is one of the players that Chidzambwa has added to the team. The list of new arrivals also includes Limited Chikafa who rejoined the club from How Mine, Elvis Meleka and Protasho Kabwe.
