BULAWAYO Chiefs are looking to compound Dynamos woes when the two sides collide in a relegation dogfight at Rufaro Stadium this afternoon.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
The topflight debutants are drawing confidence from their first cup encounter against Dynamos where they believe they performed better than the Harare giants despite losing 1-0 in that match at the weekend.
Coach Gathly Chipuka claims they made a number of entries into the penalty box and could have buried their opponents had they been clinical in front of goal. He said they had since corrected their mistakes from the previous match and were looking forward to the clash.
He said their performance in their recent meeting in a cup match was a major source of motivation.
“In the last meeting, we were just unfortunate not to score, but we were better than them (Dynamos) in terms of entries into the box. Had we been clinical, we could have won that match but they got their chance and scored. Scoring has been one of our biggest challenges, but I am sure we have corrected our mistakes from the previous match and we are ready for them,” Chipuka said.
He acknowledged it will be difficult against a Dynamos side that is also fighting relegation. He said DeMbare had strong backing of sympathisers who would not want to see the team go down.
“It will not be easy though because Dynamos has so many sympathisers who would not want to see the team go down. They are a big and experienced side whose players have been in this situation before and they can easily cope with the pressure. Even their coach Lloyd Mutasa has been in such pressure situations both as a player and coach, so they have a bit of psychological advantage going into the match. He is also a very good tactician and I predict a difficult clash.”
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After edging the Bulawayo side 1-0 to progress into the second round of the Chibuku Super Cup at the weekend, Dynamos are favourites to secure maximum points.
However, league games are usually different from cup games and Dynamos might find their opponents even harder to break down.
Should Dynamos lose against Bulawayo Chiefs and Nichrut, who are just a rung above them, they will effectively drop into the relegation zone.
The Glamour Boys face a defining run as they will play eight matches, including today’s clash against Bulawayo Chiefs, Black Rhinos, Triangle, Mutare City as well as their outstanding derby clash with Caps United, all at home.
They have three away matches against championship chasing FC Platinum, Herentals and Mutare City.
The Harare giants’ form in the last five matches has seen them win just one match in their last five, where they beat Bulawayo City, who have lost 20 matches this season.
Six teams, Dynamos, Bulawayo Chiefs, Mutare City, Nichrut, Chapungu and Yadah are all fighting to avoid the chop, while Shabanie Mine and Bulawayo City’s fate appears sealed although both teams still have mathematical chances of staying afloat.
