DYNAMOS are concerned with the condition of Vengere Stadium as they make trip to Rusape to face the already-relegated Dongo Sawmill this afternoon.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
The defending champions lie in third place on the Castle Premier Soccer League table, six points off leaders Chicken Inn, who are on 54 with FC Platinum on 52 points, with three matches remaining.
Dynamos still have a mathematical chance of lifting their fifth successive championship.
Team manager Richard Chihoro yesterday said the match against Dongo Sawmill would be a very difficult tie because of the pitch which he described as bumpy.
He said the pitch makes it difficult for players to pass the ball and that they would be forced to resort to long and high balls.
“The pitch is our major concern. Vengere Stadium is a bumpy pitch which makes play very difficult,” Chihoro said.
“Players will end up resorting to long and high balls. It will not be easy against Dongo. We usually struggle against small teams, so we also need to guard against complacency. We should go there and try to play our normal game. What we need is three points, but we have to work hard because these so-called small teams are very tricky.”
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Dynamos will be without striker Rodreck Mutuma, who missed the EasyCall Cup victory over How Mine through injury.
Masimba Mambare and Obey Mwerahari are still nursing injuries.
However, their weekend victory over How Mine which qualified them into the semi-finals of the EasyCall Cup has given them confidence going into the match.
DeMbare won 1-0 through a penalty converted by full-back Ocean Mushure but they dominated the entire match and could have won by a bigger margin had their forwards not missed several chances that came their way.
It was Dynamos’ first win in the last four matches in which they had drawn three and lost 2-1 to Harare City.
Dongo are at the foot of the table with 18 points and are all but out of the top-flight league.
They have not won in their last six matches with their only victory coming on September 30 when they shocked Tsholotsho 2-0.
The fact that they have nothing to lose will help them play without any pressure.
In other matches, Chicken Inn visit Tsholotsho at White City Stadium today hoping to consolidate their lead at the top of the log table.
After overcoming ZPC Kariba on penalties to qualify for the last four of the EasyCall Cup despite fielding a second-string side, Joey Antipas’ men will have their confidence skyrocket.
Norman Mapeza’s FC Platinum might have been knocked out of the EasyCall Cup and denied a chance for a league and cup double, following a 1-0 loss to Highlanders – their first defeat since April 10 – but still stand a chance of lifting their maiden championship.
They travel to Lafarge to face Flame Lily, hoping to close in on the log leaders. As they make the trip to the capital, they will be hoping that Chicken Inn stumble against Tsholotsho to gain ground as the season canters towards the finishing line.
Fixtures
Today: Tsholotsho v Chicken Inn (White City), Flame Lily v FC Platinum (Lafarge), Caps v How Mine (NSS), Dongo v Dynamos (Vengere), Chapungu v Triangle (Ascot), Buffaloes v ZPC Kariba (Sakubva), Hwange v Highlanders (Colliery), Harare City v WhaWha (Rufaro)
