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Phiri, Matawu fit for Sundowns tie

Sport
CASTLE Lager Premier Soccer League champions Chicken Inn captain Danny Phiri and midfielder Clemence Matawu could be available for their Caf Champions League match against South African Premier League side Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday at Barbourfields Stadium.

CASTLE Lager Premier Soccer League champions Chicken Inn captain Danny Phiri and midfielder Clemence Matawu could be available for their Caf Champions League match against South African Premier League side Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday at Barbourfields Stadium.

THANDIWE MOYO

Clement Matawu
Clemence Matawu

The two midfielders are part of a group that started full training on Monday having failed to travel to Zambia because of injuries.

Teenage Hadebe also joined in on Monday, but is still doing light training, which could effectively rule him out of the weekend match.

Coach Joey Antipas confirmed that the three players had started training.

“Deco (Phiri) is doing well, as well as Matawu. They have been training well, but Hadebe is still on light training,” he said.

“The biggest undoing would be match fitness, but at times in football you have to gamble with that.”

His main worry is that they face a team that has been competitively active since August when the South African season started.

Sundowns have been in good form, leading the log by six points ahead of Bidvest Wits, Kaizer Chiefs in third place and Black Aces.

Phiri failed to make it to the Chan finals due to an ankle injury and since he was dropped from the squad, he had not been training. Matawu was not part of the team that played in Zambia due to a calf injury.

Other players that were not in the team were Elvis Chipezeze, Lawrence Mhlanga, Edmore Chirambadare and Moses Demera, who were part of the Warriors squad for the Chan tournament in Rwanda.

But they would be in better shape, since they only recently returned from the Chan competition, where they were either training or playing matches every day for two weeks. Antipas said they were hoping for a positive result.

Mamelodi Sundowns are scheduled to arrive in Bulawayo tomorrow and will hold their first training session at Babourfields Stadium later in the afternoon.

Zifa communications officer, Xolisani Gwesela said the Patrice Motsepe-owned side would be in Bulawayo tomorrow at around noon.

Chicken Inn held a stakeholders meeting on Tuesday afternoon as they prepare for the game.