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Bosso face tricky tie at Hwange

Sport
Hwange as the two teams gets their 2016 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season underway, hoping to improve from their showing last season.

HIGHLANDERS’ new Dutch coach Erol Akbay will get his initiation into local football with a tricky trip to the Colliery tomorrow for a date with Hwange as the two teams gets their 2016 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season underway, hoping to improve from their showing last season.

BY THANDIWE MOYO/MUKUDZEI CHINGWERE

bosso

Highlanders under interim coach Amini Soma Phiri finished sixth last year, two positions better than their opponents tomorrow, forcing the Bosso hierarchy to look abroad for salvation.

Akbay has managed to charm the team’s followers since taking over, leading Bosso to the ZNA Charities Shield final where he will face Harare City.

He also beat city rivals How Mine and Bulawayo City to win the Bulawayo Football Festival in addition to winning the Royal Cup after beating visiting Botswana side Gilport Lions.

But the Dutch coach will know that those were pre-season friendly matches and real work begins tomorrow in the masonry oven called the Colliery.

“I do not know much about every team. I only know only what I hear from the technical team. They tell me what kind of players they have and the key players. I also read from the Internet about the opponent and I make notes,” said Akbay when asked about his opponents tomorrow.

“But I have my own tactics. I try my own style against the opponent and they have to change tactics for me, not me to change for them,” he added.

Akbay has begun to instil his own style of play in the team and that include pushing left-back Bruce Kangwa into midfield hoping he gets him goals, like he has been doing in the preparatory matches.

Highlanders completed back-to-back wins over Hwange last season, but coach Mbebelo Njekwa, who took over from suspended Nation Dube, believe his team can turn the tables this time around.

“It is a very motivating game and being at home is an advantage for us. We have a number of players to look out for,” he said.

Hwange have added Obert Moyo to their squad, a defender who has been plying his trade in South Africa while Pervington Zimunya has also joined the team.

Meanwhile, FC Platinum, after coming agonisingly close to winning the league last season, will be hoping to go a step further this year.

The Zvishavane-based side, who start of their campaign with a home match against Tsholotsho, looked well on course to win the title, but a run of draws in their last three matches scuppered their chances.

“It has been a long break and we are happy the season is finally starting. We have done adequate preparations and we are ready to compete. We added a few players to our squad and I am happy that the new guys have adapted to our system,” said coach Norman Mapeza, who said he did not have any injury worries ahead of the season opener.

Tsholotsho head coach Lizwe Sweswe, whose side escaped relegation on the last day of the season, is looking forward to the new campaign.

“The opening game of the season is always difficult, but we will try to do our best to get a result. We have prepared adequately for the season and I am confident the guys are good enough to compete. FC Platinum have players with bigger profiles than ours and they have resources more than us so they are favourites to win, but we will not look into that. We will just play our normal game to get a positive result,” said Sweswe.