DYNAMOS coach Herbert Maruwa is relishing a clash with a physical Cranborne Bullets at the National Sports Stadium this afternoon as the Glamour Boys look to reclaim the top spot on the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League table.
The struggling army side are known for being aggressive on the ball, and Maruwa has called his players to be ready for the “typical Cranborne physical approach.”
“They will come and try to play a physical game because they are soldiers, so naturally they will be hard on us,” said Maruwa who once coached another army side Black Rhinos.
“We are prepared for whatever approach they will bring,” he added.
Dynamos are looking to bounce back to winning ways after they were frustrated to a goalless draw by Simba Bhora in their last match, a result that ended their winning start to the new campaign.
Their camp has been boosted by the return to full fitness of skipper Frank Makarati, Donald Mudadi, Elvis Moyo and Tendai Matindife.
The crew failed to last the distance against Simba Bhora.
They only started light training on Thursday and there were major doubts for today's match.
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Makarati, Mudadi and Moyo suffered head injuries in the badly-tempered game against Simba, and coach Maruwa told NewsDay Sport on Thursday that their chances of featuring today “were 50/50.”
A source, however, told this publication that they all have been certified fit for the match.
“They are all OK and are in camp as we speak,” the highly-placed source said yesterday.
Dynamos are eyeing a return to the top spot of the league table after they were dislodged by rivals Caps United who played on Friday.
They start this match at fourth position with seven points, behind Caps United (10 points), FC Platinum (nine points) and Highlanders (eight).
Dynamos, who have a healthy goal difference against their rivals, just need a win to reclaim the top spot.
“We are playing a good Cranborne, side so it's not going to be an easy match. They are yet to win a match or score a goal so I can say they are a wounded lion. We need to make sure that we continue with our good run by getting maximum points,” he said.
“Cranborne are typically very difficult to play against, so we need to be at our best, make sure mentally we are in good shape. We don't have to give them room to play their normal game.”
Cranborne are second from the bottom with one point from a draw with Chicken Inn last week after losing their opening fixtures against Black Rhinos and FC Platinum.
Bullets coach Nesbert Saruchera said he had seen some progress in his newly assembled team.
“We are ready for the match,” Saruchera told NewsDay Sport.
“It's not going to be easy because they are on an unbeaten run but we are also looking for our first win, so it will be an interesting battle. My guys are motivated to play against the big boys of Zimbabwean football who are also playing very good football. But I have a group of fighters and we are also playing good football, so fans should come in numbers and enjoy the game because it will be an entertaining match.”
He added: “The team has been progressing well. We lost a number of players and a number of new ones arrived, so it was a process and I'm happy that we are beginning to look like a team. We played very well against FC Platinum although we lost. We also did well against Chicken Inn and I'm hoping we will continue on that trajectory against Dynamos and the next matches. The boys are beginning to gel, so it’s just a matter of time before we collect maximum points.”
