
There is no respite for struggling giants Dynamos as they take on flamboyant debutants Scottland FC in yet another tough fixture at Rufaro Stadium this afternoon.
It is one of the newest Harare derbies pitting the country's most successful club currently sitting in the relegation zone against newcomers who were third on the standings going into the weekend matches.
The two teams have been experiencing contrasting fortunes with Scottland coming from a morale boosting 1 - 0 win over Herentals in the midweek game while DeMbare have now gone five matches without a win and also scoring a goal since beating Simba Bhora 1 - 0 on March 30.
Lloyd Chigowe's men have eight points from nine matches with one win and five draws this far.
In contrast, Scottland have 16 points after playing the same number of matches.
Chigowe's assistant Mark Mathe believes they have prepared enough for Scottland.
"The fixture against Scotland FC is critical, given our tight schedule with three games in seven days, including a midweek tie with GreenFuel FC in Chisumbanje. We've prepared for Scottland FC like any other PSL team, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. This year's games have been tough, but we're hopeful for a positive result on Sunday," he said.
"The team has a strong chemistry and self-belief, knowing what it means to play for Dynamos. We're assessing our goal-scoring situation and doing self-evaluation analysis to identify areas for improvement.
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"We need to gel as a new squad, having lost experienced players and gained new ones. We're doing our best under the circumstances, and while we've drawn some games, we've shown technical and tactical improvement."
The poor run of results has made Chigowe's job a subject of speculation amid reports that the management is already angling for his replacement.
Scottland are coached by Tonderai Ndiraya, who has also been at the helm at Dynamos.
Ndiraya is wary of the threat posed by the Glamour Boys.
"Dynamos will always be Dynamos, no matter who plays there. I think it's a team that is driven by its fan base. The history that the club has, despite the players they may have at that particular time, the history that is with that team tends to drive the players," he said.
"I think most of the teams that we have played have been coming and putting up induced performances, for obvious reasons, because we've got a lot of good players that are within in our squad.
"Every team really wants to beat our team. So we also expect an induced performance from Dynamo. But the fact that they went to GreenFuel, brought back a point after such a long travel, and bringing a point there, they finished that game with the men down, shows you that it's not as bad as what people think.
"So we expect a very competitive game, given these things that I've spoken about. So we have to be prepared for that game."
After poor crowds characterised their previous home game the Dynamos leadership released a statement begging their fans to turn up for the match.
Scottland have been drawing crowds in their matches and Dynamos are hoping to cash in and ease their well documented financial woes.