Online Reporter
Fungai Muderere Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Castle Lager Premier Soccer League race has become a brutal street fight for survival and two wounded giants, Highlanders and Chicken Inn, are limping into Barbourfields Stadium today for what could be their last stand.
For years the conversation was simple. Newly promoted clubs were the ones expected to slide straight back to Division One. They were the cannon fodder. They were the ones swallowed by the big boys. But 2025 has flipped the script and shredded the rule book. It no longer needs Biblical Solomonic wisdom or a chameleon’s caution to see the harsh reality staring two Bulawayo giants in the face.
Bosso and the Gamecocks, tied on a nervy 38 points, are dangerously flirting with relegation. Today’s derby is no glamour tie. It is a fight for dear life.
“We can’t run away from the fixture. That is the way it is,” said Chicken Inn coach Joey Antipas, a seasoned gaffer who has travelled every breath and length of Zimbabwe with his Gamecocks for more than a decade.
“The mood is good. Everyone is raring to go. We have a clean bill of health and we will approach the game like we always do. It is a derby. The boys know what needs to be done,” he said.
Highlanders, with their proud centenary celebrations around the corner, find themselves in an awkward and painful position. The threat of relegation is hovering over Babourfields like a dark cloud.
“It is a crucial fixture. We need to make our fans and the Bosso family happy,” said Highlanders coach Pieter De Jongh.
“We are worried about the injuries we have but we will fight. We want an exciting match that keeps us in the top flight. Highlanders does not deserve to be relegated and we will fight to the end.”
Kwekwe United have already gone down and nine clubs remain stuck in the relegation mud. Bosso, Gamecocks, Yadah, Triangle, GreenFuel, Bikita Minerals, Manica Diamonds and even fading giants Dynamos are choking on the final day.
The league’s landscape has changed. Clubs need long term structures, youth development, proper scouting and financial discipline. Promotion is exciting but survival has become the true test. The struggles of the newly promoted sides have now been replaced by the struggles of the old guard.
As the curtain comes down on the 2025 season, all eyes will be on the clubs trapped in the drop zone drama. For Bosso, Gamecocks, DeMbare, Yadah Stars and Triangle United, this is judgement day.
Today’s Fixtures
GreenFuel v Triangle (GreenFuel Arena)
Chicken Inn v Highlanders (Barbourfields Stadium)
Manica Diamonds v Bikita Minerals (Sakubva Stadium)
Dynamos v FC Platinum (Rufaro Stadium)
Kwekwe United v Caps United (Ascot Stadium)
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