BY TERRY MADYAUTA
FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza is hoping for good fortune in the CAF Confederations Cup as his side return to the competition for the first time in six years with a home date against ASC Jaraaf of Senegal at the National Sports Stadium this afternoon.
Mapeza was a disappointed man when FC Platinum missed out on Champions League group stages qualification following a 4-1 aggregate loss to Tanzanian side Simba SC last month.
The Zimbabwean champions now have to overcome ASC Jaraaf over two play-off legs to reach the group stages of the competition for the first time in the history of the club.
FC Platinum last competed in the second-tier club competition on the continent in 2015, but could only go as far as the first round after losing 5-2 on aggregate to Tanzanian football giants Young Africans.
Mapeza, though, is taking a cautious approach aware of a potential banana peel that lies ahead of the tie against the unfamiliar West Africans.
“Senegal is a big footballing country. We know big names that have come from there. And records show that our Senegalese opponents are big in terms of achievements and they dominate their league,” Mapeza said.
“That means we have to be cautious when facing them because they are exceptional. We lost in the Champions League and for that we are hoping to do better in the Confederations Cup.”
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ASC Jaaraf has appeared in the continental championship more than any other club from Senegal, 14 times, a record that is reflective of their potential to inflict more misery on the three-time Zimbabwean champions.
Since the Simba SC debacle, Mapeza has gone on to beef up the squad bringing in Rodwell Chinyengetere, Donald Ngoma and Blessing Moyo.
Despite the fact that the trio have not played competitive football in recent times, Mapeza knows he can get more out of this group of players.
Mapeza is hoping to turn things around following their shambolic show in Tanzania.
But it is in this second-tier competition that FC Platinum need to make a statement about themselves by at least reaching the quarter-finals.
Against Simba SC, FC Platinum won the first leg played at the National Sports Stadium by a narrow margin, in a match where they spurned a lot of chances, which could have easily been converted to boost their goal difference.
They were punished by the Tanzanians, who utilised their home advantage and scored four past reserve goalkeeper Francis Tizayi in Dar es Salaam.
As they look back at that clash, which was marred by controversy, Mapeza and his men are aware of the need for them to win today by a wider margin at home to make their task easier when they travel to Dakar for the return leg.
In fact, it is hoped that the arrival of Chinyengetere and Ngoma has brought back their cutting edge, having lost Perfect Chikwende who had established himself as the team’s goalscorer.
At some point both Chinyengetere and Ngoma established themselves as reliable goalscorers for the Zvishavane outfit before trekking for greener pastures to South Africa and Tanzania respectively.
However, it remains to be seen if they still have what it takes to make the miners fiery again, especially at this point when they desperately need to salvage their pride.
The match kicks off at 3pm.
