DYNAMOS coach Genesis Mangombe believes his side has a good chance of progressing to the group stages of the Caf Confederations Cup after they were yesterday drawn against Zambia in the preliminary round of the competition.
The Harare giants are returning to continental club football for the first time in a decade and were seeded as non-ranked teams in the draw as a consequence.
Clubs that were absent from the competition for the past five years are ineligible to feature on the Caf five-year ranking.
Dynamos will host the former Zambia champions Zesco during the weekend of September 13 to 15 in the first leg before the return leg which will be played a week later.
The winners over two legs will face either Foresters FC of Seychelles or Orapa United of Botswana in the first qualifying round, with the victors progressing to the group stages.
Mangombe believes he has a squad good enough to beat all the teams in their way.
He is, however, worried that the current financial squabbles at the club could negatively impact the campaign.
“It is not a very difficult draw," Mangombe said. “We just have to put our house in order and be better organised in terms of our preparations. These current squabbles are not healthy for the team and we cannot carry on like this if we want to achieve our targets in the competition.”
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Dynamos’ camp was rocked by a players strike since last week Thursday, which only ended this week after the club management managed to pay the players their outstanding bonuses.
“If we are stable and everything is moving smoothly, there is nothing that can stop us from beating that team [Zesco]. They are beatable, but it depends on us. Their main advantage over us is that they are more organised and well funded. And when you play a team like that, it is very difficult when on your side you are not doing the basics correctly. With the players we have, we stand a good chance of winning and progress to the next stage. We have the quality and experience to match Zesco so I do not think it will be a difficult task for us.
“Then the teams we are facing in the next round are also beatable so we have a good chance of making it to the group stages."
Dynamos' homework now is to find a venue to host the Zambian power utility side since Zimbabwe does not have a Caf-certified stadium for international matches.
“Playing our home matches away from home will have a huge impact on us,” Mangombe said.
“It is very sad for us and our supporters. We need our supporters to be behind us so without them, it will be very tricky.”
Mangombe said he is looking to bolster his squad for the African Safari and has already submitted his wishlist to the club management.
But before Dynamos could think of Zesco, they have a small matter to deal with as they are set to clash against Highlanders at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday.
The two giants' clash is the headline game of match day 18 games as league action returns following a two-week mid-season break.
DeMbare’s preparations for the blockbuster game have not been ideal with the players only returning to training this week on Wednesday.
The players downed tools since Thursday last week in protest over bonuses, which had not been paid since the start of the season.
