BY FORTUNE MBELE SINCE Ngezi Platinum Stars were promoted to the Premier Soccer League in 2016, Chicken Inn have never come out of Baobab Stadium with a victory in a league game and as they return to the same venue, the trip has given Joey Antipas nighmares.
High-flying Chicken Inn, ruling the roost in their first eight games in the league, check into Baobab this afternoon hoping to break the jinx.
The two teams drew 2-2 in 2017, before Chicken Inn lost 1-0 in 2018 and suffered another defeat by the same scoreline in 2019.
However, Antipas is confident that tables might turn this afternoon against a Ngezi Platinum side which has also put up a good show at the start of the league with four wins and three draws and that sitting on position five with 15 points, five behind their opponents today.
“We might have not given them a good run at Baobab Stadium in the past but we are looking forward to the game. Football being football, there is always a first time, we are going out there looking for a positive result,” Antipas said.
Chicken Inn are coming from a 2-1 home victory against Black Rhinos where they came from behind with their star striker Brian Muza grabbing a brace towards the end of the match.
“It’s another challenging assignment against a hard-to-beat side who are playing at home. Ngezi are a formidable side and they have picked up a couple of victories. It is going to be tough. That a number of teams are competing at the top makes the championship race exciting. All teams are performing well and that is good for our football,” Antipas said.
Ngezi Platinum have perfomed well and in their last encounter, they beat champions FC Platinum 1-0 at Mandava Stadium.
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MacDonald Makuwe scored the solitary goal that made the difference and earned the Takesure Chiragwi-coached side the important three points. In their previous game, they dispatched Cranborne Bullets 3-1 after losing to Triangle.
Meanwhile, Bulawayo City, with only one win so far, host high-riding Triangle at Barbourfields Stadium today.
Bulawayo City held Yadah to a goalless draw last week in Harare while Triangle had the better of WhaWha, 4-1 at home. Triangle under the tutelage of Jairos Tapera, are on position four on the log-table.
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