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Sports Correspondent
IT will be a blood and thunder affair at Maglas Stadium this afternoon when Shabanie Mine take on Highlanders in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match that could condemn the Zvishavane side to the unfashionable Division One.A loss for the asbestos miners could be disastrous as they lie on position 14 in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League with 32 points and failure to get the full set of points could leave them hanging by a thread in Zimbabwe’s top flight league.
The PSL’s bid to have only two teams relegated could not materialise and four teams will be making their way down to Division One.
Shabanie could join Chiredzi and Bantu Rovers in relegation hence they are expected to wage an intriguing battle against dithering Highlanders, whose sole aim is to finish in a respectable position after disappointing performances of late.
Shabanie Mine secretary Pithias Shoko said they would be pulling all stops to ensure they survive the chop and expressed hope that their charges would come to the party this afternoon and salvage a win.
Three years ago, Shabanie Mine beat Highlanders 2-0 on the last day of the PSL and the Midlands side will be banking on a repeat of history, however, they are aware that Bosso is under pressure and would want to sneak into the top four, although the task remains difficult for the Bulawayo side.
Highlanders coach, Mark Mathe conceded it would be a tough outing for his lads considering that their opponents were fighting to remain in the PSL.
“I think it will be a tough match because they (Shabanie) are fighting to stay in the league and on the other hand we are looking at a strong finish that should see us collect maximum points in the remaining matches,” he said.
Mathe, however, said they were still plagued by injuries in their camp with Ozias “Ozizi” Zibande being the latest addition to the “casualty’’ department.
He said the youngster, who scored a brace against Chiredzi in their last game, sprained his ankle during training on Thursday.
“It is unfortunate that we are still plagued by injuries and Ozias will also be unavailable after he sprained his ankle and it is swollen. Kudzane Machazane is ill while Njabulo Ncube, Rahman Kutsanzira and Erick Mudzingwa are still nursing injuries. It is only Simba Sithole who has recovered and will be available,” said Bosso’s interim coach.
Another exciting battle set for this afternoon will see coal miners, Hwange play host to platinum diggers, FC Platinum at the Colliery in a battle for a top four finish that has become crucial following the changed format of the Mbada Diamonds Cup. The Mbada Cup will be contested by the top four teams at the end of the season.
Fixtures
Today: Caps United v Harare City (National Sports Stadium, SS), Shabanie Mine v Highlanders (Maglas), Bantu Rovers v How Mine (Hartsfield), Hwange v FC Platinum (Colliery), Chiredzi v Triangle (Chishamiso), Chapungu v Black Rhinos (Ascot).
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