Chiefs eye first blood against unbeaten Ngezi

BULAWAYO Chiefs will travel to Baobab Stadium this weekend with a clear mission — to become the first team to defeat Ngezi Platinum Stars this season.

Over the years, Chiefs have earned a reputation as the Premier Soccer League’s “giant killers”, a team known for upsetting some of the league’s strongest sides. That reputation will give them confidence as they prepare to face an unbeaten Ngezi side that has quietly established itself as one of the season’s standout performers.

Ngezi, based in Mhondoro, go into the match sitting third on the table with 23 points from 13 games. They have recorded five wins and eight draws, making them the only remaining unbeaten team in the league so far.

What makes their performance even more remarkable is the difficult period they went through before the season began. The club lost several key players during the off-season and was also affected by a Fifa transfer ban, which prevented them from bringing in new players.

Many had expected the team to struggle after the departures of important players such as Obriel Chirinda, Kudzai Chigwida, Nyasha Gurende, Delic Murimba, McDonald Makuwe, Richard Hachiro, Talent Chamboko and Takunda Benhura.

The exit of coach Takesure Chiragwi added further uncertainty, but new coach Kumbirayi Mutiwekuziwa has managed to stabilise the team. Under his leadership, Ngezi have become one of the hardest teams to beat in the league.

Despite the challenges, the team has relied on discipline, organisation and strong unity to maintain its unbeaten record heading into Matchday 14.

However, Chiefs believe they have what it takes to end that run.

Assistant coach John Nyikadzino said the team is fully focused on the task ahead and believes that following their game plan could bring a positive result.

“Preparations have been good. We have been working on areas we feel we should improve on, especially on transitions. They are third on the table and that is not by chance because it shows they are playing very well.

“However, if we stick to our game plan, we might be able to come out with something on Saturday. Our last game is now water under the bridge.

“The morale is high and we now have to look forward to the next game against Ngezi Platinum,” said Nyikadzino.

Chiefs go into the match looking to recover from a difficult run of results. They recently suffered a 2-0 defeat at home after recording back-to-back 2-2 draws against Triangle and Herentals.

At times this season, the Bulawayo side has struggled for consistency.

However, their ability to challenge stronger teams means Ngezi will need to be at their very best if they are to protect their unbeaten record.