ZIMBABWE football champions Caps United will be seeking to return to second position in Group B of the 2017 Orange African Champions League with a win against Libya’s Al Ahly Tripoli in Tunis, Tunisia, on Wednesday.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
The match will be played in Tunisia because of the political turmoil in Libya.
Egyptian giants Zamalek top Group B with five points from three matches with USM Alger of Algeria and Al Ahly Tripoli on four points each, while Caps United are at the foot of the table with three.
The Green Machine overcame fancied USM Alger 2-1 on May 24 in Harare with Ronald “Rooney” Chitiyo scoring a memorable brace which saw Caps United leaping to second position on the log table.
But a 4-2 defeat to Al Ahly Tripoli at the National Sports Stadium in Harare, their first defeat at their favourite home ground in the league and Caf competitions since September 2015 when Lloyd Chitembwe took over as a coach, left them at the bottom of the group.
However, the domestic champions can still claw their way back to second position on Wednesday, with victory over the Libyan champions regardless of what happens in the clash between Zamalek and USM Alger.
Only the top two teams in the group qualify to the next stage of the tournament.
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Chitembwe’s men are buoyed by their 3-0 demolition of Bantu Rovers in a league match on Tuesday with Chitiyo, Dominic Chungwa and Amon Kambanje all putting their names on the scoresheet.
They will, however, be hoping for a quick return to fitness of several of their stars who include goalkeeper Edmore Sibanda, Hardlife Zvirekwi, Tafadzwa Rusike and Dennis Dauda as they make the trip to Tunis at the weekend.
The players did not play a part in the victory over Bantu Rovers as team doctor Nicholas Munyonga continued to monitor their progress. The players though, who joined training this week, are expected to get back to fitness and make the trip.
This is the first time Caps United are playing at this stage of the tournament in their history, after a storming start to the African safari which has stunned watchers of the continental game after they knocked out African football giants and cash-rich TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
