Can FCP bounce back?

IT can be done!

Although FC Platinum succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Angolan side Clube Desportivo de Agosto in the first leg of their preliminary round match in the Caf Championsa�� League, their gaffer Norman Mapeza still believes they can make a massive comeback and qualify to the next round.

Inspired by Spanish giants, Barcelona who overturned a 4-0 first leg defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in the Uefa champions league, Mapeza believes his team has a chance to do the same.

a�?You never know with football, anything can happen, if you remember FC Barcelona lost 4-0 in the first leg and they went on to overturn the result,a�? said Mapeza.

However, if this scenario happens in the second leg, it will not be new in the Caf championship games as MC Alger from Algeria managed to make a massive come back from a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the then defending champions Hafia FC from Guinea, and went on to win in a penalty shootout in 1976 and clinched the title.

But given the previous performances of the two teams in both the Caf competitions and their domestic leagues, the odds do not favour FC Platinum in qualifying to the next round.

The Zimbabwe champions had a disappointing performance on their debut appearance in the Caf inter-club competition in 2015.

They were knocked out in the first round of the Confederation Cup by Young Africans of Tanzania after they failed to overturn a 5-1 loss suffered in the first leg.

Clube Despotivo de Agosto have so far made 11 appearances in the Caf Champions League . In these 11 appearances they have only been knocked out in the preliminary round once in 2007.

On the other hand, FC Platinum has less experience in the African Safari league making the odds for them to win less.

In the domestic league the Angolan side has managed to clinch the title 11 times, having managed to defend it last year compared to FC Platinum which has only clinched the title once.

But as Norman Mapeza said, anything can happen in football and FC Platinum can still make a massive comeback and overcome the odds.