Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
IT’S all to play for when ambitious Bulawayo Chiefs take on Chicken Inn in a local Premiership derby on Sunday.
Both Chiefs and Chicken Inn are going through rough patches, with the former going on a three-match winless streak after drawing against Triangle United and two successive 1-0 losses to Cranborne Bullets and FC Platinum.
Chiefs’ last win was on June 3 when they edged Yadah 1-0.
Chicken Inn surrendered top spot on the league table a fortnight ago when FC Platinum clipped their wings in a 3-0 bashing in Bulawayo. They went on to lose 1-0 to relegation threatened Tenax at the weekend.
Chiefs, who suffered a late heartbreak at Mandava Stadium where they conceded in the 88th minute following a good display, lost the first-leg to Chicken Inn 2-1 and they will want to claim bragging rights against a team motivated by getting their title chase back on track.
If Chiefs can replicate the performance they displayed against FC Platinum, then the Gamecocks need to be at their best.
In the build-up to the first-leg, Chiefs had gone into the encounter having collected more points than Chicken Inn from two wins against FC Platinum (2-0) and 1-0 over Triangle United, with the other tie against Cranborne Bullets ending in a draw.
With both sides limping, the battle is likely to be won and lost in midfield.
On a good day, the Chiefs’ midfield quartet of Kelvin Madzongwe, Lucky Ndlela, Arthur Musiyiwa and either Wilson Mensah or Mthokozisi Msebe can withstand any opposition, with Perfect Chikwende partnering either Farau Matare or Obriel Chirinda upfront.
Former Chiefs’ Sheppard Mhlanga, box-to-box midfielder Brett Amidu, attacking midfielders Michael Charamba and
Clive Dzingai are likely to form Chicken Inn’s midfield.
Defending champions FC Platinum will be out in search of an eighth straight win against an under-fire Dynamos that has gone for three games without a win.
A drop in form by Dynamos has seen their championship hopes slowly fading, as they are now eight points behind FC Platinum, who are on 43 points from 20 games.
DeMbare are three points adrift of second-placed Chicken Inn and can move into second if they spring a shocker against FC Platinum and the Gamecocks lose to Chiefs.
Online Reporter