FC PLATINUM coach Norman Mapeza believes his men are ready for their first competitive match of the season against Bulawayo Chiefs.
They will host Amakhosi on Saturday in the Castle Challenge Cup, which is a forthcoming season curtain raiser.
The four-time Castle Lager Premier Soccer League champions played their first friendly matches in this pre-season campaign against Masvingo United over the weekend.
They beat the Masvingo-based side in both matches. In the first one, they won 2-1 courtesy of goals by Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya and Jarrison Selemani.
Striker Perfect Chikwende and midfielder Juan Mutudza were on target in the second match, which they won 2-0.
What mainly excited Mapeza is how his new signings applied themselves in both matches.
Mapeza, however, reiterated that they were still settling, although he reckons the work done so far is enough to see off Bulawayo Chiefs.
“What was important for us is to see where we are as a club. We look forward to our next game against Bulawayo Chiefs,” he said. “For me, the main concern has been to see how the guys have been performing. We have a lot of work ahead of us this coming season.”
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The platinum miners won the last three Challenge Cups where they beat Harare City, Triangle and Highlanders.
They will hope to make light work of Chiefs and set the tone for the upcoming season.
But it’s clear that Chiefs will not go down without a fight, especially as they are coached by Lizwe Sweswe who helped FC Platinum win the 2019 title.
For the 2023 season, Mapeza and his men will start off with an away trip to face newboys Simba Bhora in Shamva on March 18.
