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Peter Phiri Sports Correspondent
CAPS United coach Taurai Mangwiro has said Highlanders will be under pressure when they meet in the Castle Larger Premier Soccer League match at Barbourfields Stadium next week. The Green Machine beat Bosso 2-1 in the reverse fixture in Harare on Sunday through goals by Dominic Chungwa and Leonard Fiyado.
Bosso replied through outstanding Milton Ncube whose long range effort stunned national team goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube.
Caps United had before the Sunday match not beaten Highlanders in a league match since last season and they have every reason to celebrate after accounting for the Bulawayo giants.
Although Mangwiro is aware of Highlanders backlash at Barbourfields in the reverse fixture, he says it is Bosso who are under immense pressure.
‘‘Highlanders will obviously come back fighting in their own backyard trying to subdue us and they will be under pressure before their own fans.
We did our job in Harare and we were thrilled to get the three points. Let me also say that we are bracing for a tough and bruising encounter against Highlanders at Barbourfields,’’ said Mangwiro.
Asked if he has a specific game plan for Highlanders next week, Mangwiro says they treat every game the same.
‘‘We treat all games the same and it doesn’t matter which side we are playing. To us every game is a do-or-die encounter and we respect every team in the Premiership,’’ he said.
On their chances of winning the league title, the Caps United coach said things were looking bright for his team at the moment.
‘‘Highlanders have 29 points and we have 26 which means only three points separate us. If we beat them next week then we are level on points. We have a good chance of doing well this season but all the 16 teams are still in the race for the championship,’’ he said.
The Caps United coach said they were not in the league just to beat Highlanders or Dynamos but to win every game.
‘‘What does it benefit us if we beat Highlanders and Dynamos and fail to win against the other teams. For example if we beat Highlanders and Dynamos and then all the other teams beat us then we will be relegated at the end of the season. Every team in the league is a threat to us so it is not about beating the duo of Dynamos and Highlanders but doing well in every game. Our strength is that we play as a team and that is the culture at Caps United,’’ said Mangwiro.
He said his club believed the team should win the games as opposed to depending on the performance of other teams.
‘‘We don’t want to depend on certain teams to beat the other teams for us. The job has to be done by us and only us. Why would I want to depend on a certain team when we can do the job on our own?” asked Mangwiro.
Despite beating Highlanders, Mangwiro says he still respects Bosso as a big team.
‘‘We might have beaten them but I still respect Highlanders because they are a big team. They are leading the log standings and would want to bounce back to winning ways which makes them a dangerous side. We are bracing for a very tough game in Bulawayo next week,’’ said Mangwiro.
Before Bosso lost to Caps United, they suffered another defeat at the hands of Chicken Inn in a midweek fixture.
Their backs might be on the wall and under immense pressure as Mangwiro puts it but Highlanders are dangerous when wounded and Caps United must brace for a backlash at Barbourfields.
Online Reporter