Makepekepe seek Chibuku solace

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After enjoying football on the African safari, the Harare giants are desperate to get back in next season and the Chibuku Cup provides an optional route.

PREMIERSHIP champions CAPS United will be looking to drown their faltering title defence sorrows with Chibuku Super Cup success this season as they embark on a tricky quarterfinal assignment against Shabanie Mine at Maglas this afternoon.

BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE

CAPS United made a historic run to the group stages in the CAF Champions League this year but forgot about the title defence at home and have slim chances of retaining the crown, lying on sixth position, 14 points behind leaders Dynamos with seven matches before the season ends.

The Green Machine are the only traditional football giant left in the competition after Highlanders, Dynamos, FC Platinum, Chicken Inn and defending champions Ngezi fell by the wayside in the previous round.

Sensing a golden opportunity, Lloyd Chitembwe’s men are gunning for nothing less than the cup title and possibly make a claim for the customary Cup Kings tag.

“We expect to go on and win the Cup but it’s not going to be as easy as our fans think. People have been going around saying Caps United is the highest ranked team left in the competition, and all the other big guns went out, but it’s actually tough when you play teams which are regarded as smaller in terms of status,” assistant coach Fungai Kwashi said.

After enjoying football on the African safari, the Harare giants are desperate to get back in next season and the Chibuku Cup provides an optional route.

“There are two routes to Africa first, is the league and the second is Chibuku Cup. We have been in Africa and obviously we have tasted the honey, the niceness of African football and we are highly motivated to get back into Africa.

“We know Shabanie Mine are a tough team, very hardworking, they have given us problems before so it will be a dog fight because we want to win and they also want to do the same,” he added.

Shabanie, enmeshed in a relegation dog fight have also made the cup a priority and declared that, they are also in it to win it.

“I haven’t seen a coach who does not want to win a competition they are playing in, so we also want to win the Cup. Shabanie has a good history in Cups and we as the current crop want to maintain that tradition. Not that we are depending on history but it gives us confidence that it can be done,” Shabanie coach Takesure Chiragwi told Standardsport.

The Chinda boys who are currently languishing in the relegation zone have done extremely well at home in the league, losing just twice.

League matches between the two sides have both ended in stalemates but today they have to be separated at the end of the day since it’s a knockout Cup game.

“CAPS United are doing well, they are the league champions, they have a reputation as the Cup Kings so it’s not going to be easy to beat them, but we will try to use our home advantage to maximum effect,” Chiragwi said.

CAPS United have not won at Maglas in 12 years and the Chibuku Cup encounter gives them a perfect setting to break the curse.