Chibuku Cup venues named

Sports Reporter
THE Castle Lager Premier Soccer League has announced venues for the Chibuku Super Cup which kicks off on Saturday with the top eight teams that were seeded in the draw playing at home.
The draw held last Wednesday in Harare saw the top eight teams, as of Week 15, put into one pot with the bottom eight in another.

The first round of the revived knockout competition will see Highlanders who are hoping to rediscover their winning formula taking on Shabanie Mine at Luveve Stadium on Sunday a day after the How Mine-Chicken Inn derby at the same venue.

The Bulawayo giants have gone for more than 360 minutes without scoring and following their last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Dynamos, Kelvin Kaindu and his boys are hard-pressed for a win having already been knocked out of the NetOne sponsored OneWallet Sup8r Knockout tournament by How Mine last month.

Shabanie Mine coach John Phiri is confident that his side will progress to the next stage.

“Cup games are tricky but I think we need this trophy more than Highlanders. The guys are hungry for success and seeing that it’s been long since we won a match, this might be a turning point for us. “However, it won’t be easy because Highlanders are a good side and they are more of wounded lions which means we have to fight really hard to win this game,” said Phiri.

League champions Dynamos’ first round hurdle which they have to clear will be against Black Rhinos at Gwanzura on Sunday with Bantu Rovers travelling to Mandava Stadium to do battle with FC Platinum who they played out in a 1-1 draw in their reverse league fixture at Luveve last week.

The game at Mandava will be Norman Mapeza’s first match in charge of the platinum miners after replacing Lloyd Mutasa who quit his job last week following the Bantu Rovers draw.

Coalminers Hwange will be home to Triangle at the Colliery Stadium on Sunday with Buffaloes who are likely to lose head coach Luke Masomere who is rumoured to be on his way to How Mine playing host to table anchors Chiredzi at Sakubva.

Table toppers ZPC Kariba, the only unbeaten team in the Premiership since the start of the season after 19 rounds of matches will be at Rimuka Stadium on Saturday for a date with Harare City.

Delta Beverages are bankrolling the Chibuku Super Cup to a tune of $500,000 with the winners expected to walk away with $75,000 while the losing finalists will pocket $50,000 and semi-finalists take home $25,000 each.

The teams that will be knocked out in the quarterfinals will bank $20,000 with first round losers getting $15,000.

The PSL is expected to announce the breakdown for prize money of other individual awards in due course.

Another draw would be conducted after the first round matches.

Fixtures
Saturday: ZPC Kariba v Harare City (Rimuka), FC Platinum v Bantu Rovers (Mandava), Caps United v Chapungu (Rufaro), How Mine v Chicken Inn (Luveve)
Sunday: Dynamos v Black Rhinos (Gwanzura), Highlanders v Shabanie Mine (Luveve), Hwange v Triangle United (Colliery), Buffaloes v Chiredzi (Sakubva)