Super Sunday

By The Standard | Nov. 20, 2016

It has been an exciting 28 weeks of Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL) action and by 5pm today, Harare giants CAPS United could have been crowned the 2016 Zimbabwe football champions.

BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE/MUKUDZE CHINGWERE

A see-saw race has witnessed CAPS United, Highlanders and FC Platinum assuming and relinquishing the top spot on at least two occasions each during the season.

But going into the penultimate round of the season, it’s the Green Machine,who are on the ascendancy and a win for the Lloyd Chitembwe-coached side over Ngezi Platinum at the National Sports Stadium this afternoon, could effectively end the fight for league honours, with a match to spare.

And some 386km away from Harare, in the Midlands province mining town of Zvishavane, the two other protagonists, FC Platinum and Highlanders, square off in a potentially explosive league duel at Mandava.

CAPS United fans will also no doubt be following proceedings in Zvishavane with interest as their side will be crowned champions if they beat Ngezi Platinum today, and FC Platinum fail to beat Highlanders.

Thus, the stage has been set for a Super Sunday that could end in triumphal ecstasy in the CAPS United camp, another near miss heartbreak in Zvishavane and disappointment for the Bulawayo giants.

Chitembwe, the October coach of the month, spoke highly of the team spirit in camp following a mini sit-in earlier in the week by players over monetary issues.

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“The spirit in the team is now good and the oneness is out of this world. I attribute this to the amount of work put in by the players and I think they deserve the recognition and praise because we have come a long way as a club,” Chitembwe said.

But the former Cup Kings may need more than just team spirit to beat Ngezi Platinum, high in confidence after they beat FC Platinum 3-1 to lift the Chibuku Super Cup two weeks ago.

Ngezi Platinum beat Highlanders 1-0 at Barbourfields in the Chibuku Cups semis before holding FC Platinum to a one-all draw in the league last month and are capable of derailing CAPS United.

The Harare giants will go into the match without skipper Moses Muchenje who is suspended for this round of fixtures.

In the Midlands, Zvishavane side FC Platinum will need to break a home duck against their visitors from Bulawayo today to keep alive any hope of landing the title which twice they have let slip through their fingers in previous seasons.

Coached by Norman Mapeza, who guided Monomotapa to the championship back in 2009, FC Platinum have not beaten Highlanders at Mandava since they got promoted in 2011.

If they are to win the league title, FC Platinum need to win both their remaining matches and hope CAPS United fumbles, along the way either against Ngezi Platinum or Gweru-based side Chapungu in the last two fixtures.

Bosso need a miracle in the last two matches – victory this afternoon, hoping that CAPS United stumbles in both their last two games.

Pure Platinum Play lost 1-3 in the final of the Chibuku Super Cup to Ngezi Platinum and Mapeza is fully aware that he has to bring the elusive league title to Zvishavane to soothe the souls of the mourning fans who have been subjected to near misses for many years.

As for Highlanders, they have performed admirably since the coming in of expatriate coach Elroy Akbay to lead the dugout at Emagumeni and they will be looking to decorate the City of Kings with the title once more to cap a commendable run.

Akbay is not expecting anything short of maximum points when his charges take to the field this afternoon and his only worry is that the destiny of the league title is not in their hands.

“It is a must-win game for us and we know we just have to win the game. If we lose our chances of winning the title are over. It is a very tricky game; we might win but hand the title to CAPS United but if we win and they lose, then we have a chance in the last game,” he said.