Chicken Inn, FC Platinum clash

CHICKEN Inn and FC Platinum are set to face off tomorrow in their 25th encounter in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL), as the two sides battle it out in one of this season’s Week Three fixtures at Luveve Stadium.

Since 2011, the two teams have met 24 times in the country’s top-flight football league.

Pure Platinum Play has proven to be a dominant force, often making Chicken Inn, who have also boasted talented players and tactically gifted coaches, play second fiddle.

Of the 24 matches played between the two sides, FC Platinum have won 11 — five at home and six away.

On the other hand, the Gamecocks have managed four victories over the platinum miners, two at home and two away.

Nine matches have ended in draws.

FC Platinum have scored 32 goals against Chicken Inn, while the latter has found the back of the net 22 times against the former.

Two weeks into the 2025 campaign, FC Platinum have collected four points from a possible six after playing out a goalless draw against Simba Bhora and edging Manica Diamonds 1-0.

The Gamecocks are yet to secure a full set of points, having recorded identical 0-0 draws against Bikita Minerals and Yadah.

Norman Mapeza’s men will certainly head into tomorrow’s match with their tails up.

The Gamecocks’ technical team has demanded a more determined approach from their players if they are to collect maximum points.

Last season, the first-leg encounter at Mandava Stadium ended in a 2-2 draw. The second-leg fixture, played on 28 July 2024 at Luveve Stadium, saw Chicken Inn thump the platinum miners 2-0.

Defender Mpumelelo Bhebhe and supersub Genius Mutungamiri were on target for the Gamecocks.

At the time, FC Platinum were the log leaders in a campaign that was eventually won by Simba Bhora.

With Bhebhe, Mutungamiri, captain Xolisani “Lolo” Ndlovu, Brian Muza, Michael Charamba, goalkeeper Donovan Bernard, George Majika, Elshamar Farasi, and new signings Miguel Fieldman, Tadiwa Muchenje, and Tinashe Mushaireni, among others, the Gamecocks are poised to match Mapeza’s men pound for pound.

“There are some players who have not played. We have been working on some combinations. There are some guys who now deserve to play — maybe they might make a difference for us,” said Antipas.

Also likely to be introduced into the fray by the Simbisa Brands outfit are Kumbirai Nyamutenha, Edward Musena, Walter Vuwa, and Vincent Mugande.

Malawian striker Vincent Nyangulu, who scored a last-gasp winner as FC Platinum defeated Manica Diamonds 1-0 last weekend, former Chicken Inn midfielder Shepherd Mhlanga, defender Mbongeni “Mbola” Ndlovu, Brian Banda, and Oscar Bhebhe are expected to play a crucial role in FC Platinum’s quest to overcome the Gamecocks in their own backyard. — @FungaiMuderere.