DeMbare date Platinum

league match.
They were denied a date in the his­tory books to become the first team in the modern Premiership to win the league title in their first year in the league by DeMbare last year.
An own goal by defender Daniel Veremu condemned them to a defeat against Dynamos and they surren­dered their pole position.
Ndiraya, who was in charge of the team’s training session yesterday at Raylton in the absence of head coach Callisto Pasuwa who is attending a Caf B licence course, believes the team will build on Sunday’s performance and collect maximum points again.
There were some efforts by the club’s management to have the match postponed as their coach is attending a coaching course.
But the PSL informed Dynamos that they have to fulfill the match after the league management got the green light from the course conveners that Pasuwa would be excused to preside over the match.
The champions will be missing the duo of Roderick Mutuma and Tawanda Mparati who are now serv­ing their Week 16 suspension after they accumulated three cards in the first round.
Zambian midfielder, Arthur Kaseloki who spends most of the time on the sidelines with injuries, is out again after he was injured during Monday’s light training.
While former skipper Desmond Maringwa and Martin Vengesayi are back in the team’s fold, defensive mid­fielder Milton Makopa is still out with a chest infection.
“Platinum are a strong side they fin­ished second last season and we know we won 2-1 in the first match but now it is a new game altogether,” said Ndi­raya.
“We want to collect maximum points and hopefully we will.
“We want to close the gap and the boys have been working hard and are not taking the match lightly.
“We also want to continue with the unbeaten run against them but this comes through hard work and the boys should be ready to put a good fight,” said Ndiraya.
The coach said even though they have some reservations about playing today, after coming from another big match, they have embraced the fix­ture.
He said they now want to use this as a turning point by taking all the nine points available from last Sunday to this coming Sunday when they face Gunners.
“We would have wanted to rest but we have to catch up with all the other teams and it is not of our own making.
“It is quite taxing that we have come from a big match and we are playing another big match before we play again on Sunday.
“But FC Platinum where also active on Saturday and we will now rather build on the victory and play again to win tomorrow (today).
“We have to use this to our advan­tage. Moreso, we are happy that after tomorrow’s match (today) we would have cleared our backlog and can now have enough time to prepare for the other matches together with other teams,” he said.
Ndiraya added that now that they have cleared the backlog they remain worried about the fate of their tie against Hwange whose result was nul­lified after the Disciplinary Commit­tee ruled that there should be a replay following the assault on the coalmin­ers’ coaches.
However, DeMbare’s technical team will have to wait a little longer after the Appeals Committee which was sched­uled to deliberate on the matter on Friday had to postpone the indaba to allow Hwange to file their submis­sions.
Now the Committee is expected to sit tomorrow with the verdict expected in another week or so.
“From our point of view, we played and won the game. We want our points back. We are not prepared for a replay and that game is now water under the bridge,” said Ndiraya
There are likely to be no major changes from the team which floored CAPS United with Cliff Sekete, who rose from the bench to score the third goal likely to start together with Tichaona Mabvura, in the absence of suspended duo of Mutuma and Muparati.
Farai Mupasiri, who scored the win­ner in the 2-1 victory at Mandava in the first tie and was again on target at the weekend, is expected to con­tinue in the starting XI.
Midfielder Denver Mukamba, who was also on target when he scored the opener in the reverse tie at Mandava before FC Platinum striker Donald Ngoma cancelled the goal, has also been in good form.
Goalkeeper George Chigova is enjoying his place in the sun following the departure of Washington Arubi.

Fixtures
Today: Dynamos v FC Platinum (Rufaro).

Saturday: Monomotapa v Shabanie (Rufaro); FC Platinum v Blue Rangers (Mandava); Black Mambas v Harare City (Morris Depot).

Sunday: Hwange v Chicken Inn (Colliery); Hardbody v Quelaton (Ascot); Dynamos v Gunners (Rufaro); Buffaloes v CAPS United (Sakubva); Highlanders v Motor Action (Barbourfields)