Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
CAPS UNITED’s form says one thing, but Barbourfields says another.
They head to Bulawayo this afternoon chasing top spot again, sharp, confident and with five points dropped in eight games. But across them stands an unbeaten Highlanders side, and a ground that has refused to bend for them for over a decade.
Makepekepe have not won at Barbourfields since 2015. Every visit since has not resulted in victory but mostly draws, sometimes worse.
Now they arrive in their best shape in years, but history is sitting right there in front of them.
And it is not just the stadium.
Coach Takesure Chiragwi has his own problem to solve. He has not beaten Highlanders since taking charge of Ngezi Platinum Stars in 2022. A number of his current players lived through that same frustration. Different club, same wall.
Still, CAPS are not coming in quietly. There is belief in that dressing room, built from a strong pre-season and carried into the league.
The bonuses have even been bumped up for this one, a sign of how seriously they are taking the trip.
Chiragwi is not interested in leaning on old numbers.
“I don’t read much into history, although it is important to look at for perspective,” he said.
“We train with an opponent in mind, not with past stats in our heads. The team is keen to go out there and give it their all. The guys are always hungry every day. We are fully aware of the size of the assignment.”
He knows what is coming.
Highlanders may not have been scoring freely early on, but their structure has held. They defend well, they control the ball and now the goals are starting to come.
That 3-1 win over Chicken Inn midweek felt like a release after a run of draws.
Chiragwi sees it too.
“If you want to see a good team, it’s how they defend when they don’t have the ball,” he said.
“Yes, they have not been scoring goals, but if you look at how they play, their structure, how they possess the ball and how they defend, you see they are a very good team.
“They were creating chances and missing. Now they are scoring. So, we know it’s going to be a tough game. We need to be very good tactically in how we defend and how we attack.”
There is a subplot here.
Chiragwi once worked under Highlanders coach Benjani Mwaruwari during that short-lived, but intense spell at Ngezi.
Thirteen matches, then the split. Now they meet again from opposite benches. He downplays it.
“I don’t think the knowledge I have about him can really help a lot,” he said. “It applies to both of us if it’s helpful.”
CAPS at least come in close to full strength. Only Davison Marowa remains out. The rest are back and available. That depth is part of why they are being tipped as serious title contenders this season.
But Barbourfields has a way of stripping teams down to basics.
Highlanders defender Andrew Mbeba knows the weight of that record.
“Since I started playing in the league, we have never lost to CAPS United at Barbourfields,” he said.
“But it also brings pressure because we want to keep that record. It will be a tough match. CAPS United also have pressure to break that jinx. We are telling each other to focus on the game, not the stats.”
That is the balance going into this match.
CAPS United chasing the top, trying to prove this is more than just a good start.
Highlanders protecting a record, quietly building, now starting to score and sensing a shift of their own.
One team’s form meets another team’s fortress.
Something has to give.
