The beautiful game often produces storylines that defy history, and never has that been truer than today’s Castle Lager Premier Soccer League fixture at Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo.
Zimbabwe's two most decorated footballing behemoths, Dynamos and Highlanders, lock horns not in a traditional title-decider, but in a desperate, last-gasp scramble for survival.
This afternoon's showdown is unique in its gravity. Four matches shy of the final whistle, both giants find themselves awkwardly near the relegation abyss — a scenario previously unimaginable.
The winner will take a huge leap towards safety; the loser will be sucked deeper into the mire. For the fans, it's a potentially gut-wrenching watch, trading the champagne taste of championship glory for the bitter reality of a relegation dogfight.
History, however, does hand a psychological edge to the hosts. The last few years have seen the blue half of the divide suffering a bizarre hoodoo against their bitter rivals.
While Highlanders boast two wins in the last three meetings, it's Dynamos' inability to win in open play that truly stuns.
For DeMbare fans, the last memory of an on-field victory over Bosso is a faded photograph from June 28, 2015, when they registered a thrilling 3-2 triumph at Rufaro Stadium.
Since that day, the two titans have met 16 times in the league, resulting in six draws, six Highlanders victories, and only two Dynamos wins — both coming via controversial boardroom decisions.
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The last was in September 2023 and before that, a 3-0 win in May 2017. For Dynamos, this afternoon is not just about survival, it's about ending a decade-long, soul-crushing jinx.
Highlanders' head coach, the enigmatic Dutchman Pieter De Jongh, is typically defiant. His side, currently ninth on the table with 34 points, sits just two points above their opponents.
He dismissed any fear of a Dynamos side unbeaten since their current coach took charge.
"It's hot weather in Zimbabwe, very hot weather. That is for everyone, for our side and also for Dynamos," De Jongh said, downplaying the conditions. “Big game, I like big games as a coach, because I always put memories in big games.”
The Dutchman views the fixture purely through the lens of the relegation scrap.
"A league game for both teams is important, because both teams need to survive for a relegation.
We have two points more than the opponent," he said, noting that his team needs a minimum of four points from the remaining fixtures to guarantee survival.
He also stressed that the clash is not about a coaching rivalry, but about nature and cultural rival of football.
Across the divide is Kelvin Kaindu, who makes an emotional return to Emagumeni (Barbourfields Stadium) just months after being sacked by Highlanders.
The Zambian gaffer has been a revelation at Dynamos, engineering a remarkable revival that has seen them go undefeated with five wins and two draws, pulling the Glamour Boys out of the basement. DeMbare sits 14th with 32 points.
Kaindu spoke with a tone of sober reflection on the state of the clubs.
"If you look at the way, the two teams are separated by two points; I am not sure about the history but in the long run, this is the first time that both teams are having a game yet they are fighting for relegation.
This is a wake-up call for the giants to begin to check on themselves," he stated.
Reflecting on his return, Kaindu acknowledged the emotional difficulty.
"It’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be an emotional game. I come back to BF with a number of emotions...
We just hope that we get there and even on the field and the fans that are going to troop in in their numbers, get entertained," he said.
With both teams at full strength and facing each other twice — in the league today and in the Chibuku Super Cup semi-final next weekend — the stage is set for a dramatic, nerve-shredding afternoon where pride, history, and most critically, survival, are all on the line.
