IT’S a big day for the Castle lager Premier Soccer League as four former champions face each other in two mouthwatering matches that promise to provide fireworks in two of the country’s biggest cities this afternoon.
A traditional rivalry pits Bulawayo giants Highlanders who had a flying start to the season, but have started to slip after managing one point in their last two matches against CAPS United who have struggled from the beginning of the race, but are buoyed by an emphatic 3 – 0 win over Green Fuel at Rufaro on Thursday.
On the other hand Dynamos will be looking to inflict further harm on Ngezi Platinum, who are making a mess of their title defence so far this season and sat in 14th place after eight matches ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.
CAPS United have failed to beat Highlanders at Barbourfields Stadium since 2015, a total of six league visits where they have lost two times and scrapped a point in the other four matches
Despite losing to Chicken Inn at home and playing a draw with Herentals in Harare, Highlanders are still on top of the log table with 15 points, tied with Chicken Inn who beat Hwange during the week at Luveve Stadium.
Kaindu is aware of the threat posed by the Green Machine and is sure that the match will be exciting.
"They are coming from a big win. It’s their biggest victory. That is the game that recorded a number of goals and playing Caps United; they have the pedigree, they come with a brand of players that have got the experience in terms of playing in the Premier Soccer League.
"We know what they are capable of doing and we just anticipate and wait for an exciting game," Kaindu said.
- Inside Sport: Local stadiums in urgent need of attention
- Panashe Mutasa comes of age at Tenax FC
- Dynamos back to winning ways
- Ndiraya backs Antonio to impress in Belgium
Keep Reading
Kaindu said all is well in camp in terms of injuries, but the technical team has been working on the boys' attitude after dropping points in the last two.
He believes fatigue has also played a role in the performance of the team.
"We are working on the mental strength of the boys. We are hoping and trusting that we are seeing a lot of improvement, but it’s unfortunate that we dropped points in a game that we were leading. We did well in the first half; maybe it was the overload of the games that we played, travelling to Ngezi and coming back, going to Mutare and back again to Harare.
"I think it could have given us an advantage in terms of playing, but we are back home and we are just hoping for the best," the coach said.
Kaindu and his chief striker Lyonth Chikuhwa were last week named coach and player of the month for March respectively.
Chikuhwa leads the league scorers' chart with five goals.
After losing to Manica Diamonds in Mutare last weekend, Caps beat Green Fuel 3-0 in a mid-week clash.
"We take the win with a lot of pride, but at the same time, we really need to remain focused and try to come to terms with the importance of competing in this league.
"It's a very difficult league, so it's important to try to be consistent after this win. We must play the next game against Highlanders with the belief that we can also win it,” CAPS United coach Lloyd Chitembwe after the victory against GreenFuel
All eyes will be on former CAPS United star Alois Bunjira’s son Junior who was in dazzling form in the team's last match where he provided two assists.
In Harare, two coaches who are under immense pressure, Genesis Mangombe and Takesure Chiragwi will try to buy some time at their clubs with a win.
Mangombe helped Dynamos beat Ngezi Platinum in the league for the first time in six years and he will be out for revenge after losing the season opening Castle Challenge Cup at Baobab in March.
"Now it's a revenge match, they managed to beat us in the Challenge Cup. Now we want to make sure we give our best so that we can win this one playing at home. We will do our best, we will not change anything. at Rufaro we are promising our fans a very entertaining game on Sunday," Mangombe said.
After all, Ngezi Platinum Stars are looking for their first away win since November and they have failed to claim maximum points in five matches since then.
Moreover, the platinum miners have one win in eight matches and alarm bells are ringing for Chiragwi.
A defeat could signal the end of his tenure at Ngezi Platinum Stars.
Fixtures
Today: Manica Diamonds v FC Platinum (Sakubva), Greenfuel v Arenel Movers (Greenfuel), Highlanders v Caps United (Barbourfields), Hwange v Herentals (Colliery), Dynamos v Ngezi Platinum (Rufaro), Bulawayo Chiefs v Chegutu Pirates (Luveve)
