FC PLATINUM gaffer Norman Mapeza has said he is expecting a tough test when his side takes on AS Otoho D’yo of Congo in their second leg first round Caf Champions League qualifier at Mandava Stadium tomorrow.
BY TERRY MADYAUTA
The platinum miners need either a win or a goalless draw to complete the job and sail through to the group stages of the tournament following a one-all draw in the reverse fixture played in Congo a week ago.
Mapeza’s side are looking for their maiden appearance in the Group stages.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s game, Mapeza said they are approaching the game with caution with the knowledge that they can still be knocked out despite holding an advantage.
“The guys who were in Congo will tell you that there is no complacency issue here, “Mapeza said.
“We still need a result because a nil-all result is not guaranteed.
“Who knows, they might get a goal in the last minutes of the game, so we need a win.
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“Everybody knows where we are standing at the moment, I think we are just 90 minutes away from our objective of reaching the group stages of the Champions League. “So we know the challenge, we are going to face on Saturday (tomorrow). We just hope that we get maximum support from the community and everybody who is associated with the club and we will make sure that we get a positive result.”
Mapeza revealed that the bulk of his regulars are available for selection, except for Kelvin Moyo who is yet to fully recover and Winston Mhango who remains AWOL since their preliminary round clash against CNaPS.
“Kelvin and Rahman (Kutsanzira) were injured and could not take part in the last match, but for Winston I was surprised last week to hear talk that we had dropped him from the team and it seemed as if we had made a big mistake of dropping him.
“He was not here, in fact we don’t know where he is at the moment. We last saw him when we came back from Madagascar.
“Kelvin and Rahman are fit now. We just have to make a decision on Rahman whether we include him in the squad.”
It will be interesting how Mapeza will set up his side but he will be looking to balance his defence and attack.
He will be looking to coax the best out of his attackers Rodwell Chinyengetere, Gift Mbweti and Lameck Nhamo.
As usual, the PSL champions bank on their defensive stealth and sterling home record that only let in 14 goals throughout the season.
