adminseason and will not take Shooting Stars lightly when they meet in a Mbada Diamonds Cup quarter-final tie at Maglas on Sunday.
DeMbare go into the match on the back of a morale-boosting 3-1 win over Highlanders last Sunday, which put them back in strong contention for the championship after reducing the gap between them and log leaders FC Platinum to just one point with four games remaining.
Their opponents – Shooting Stars – are deep in the relegation zone as they are currently second from the bottom with 23 points. The Wild Boys however beat top four side Hwange 1-0 in the first round to book a date against the Harare giants.
But Arubi yesterday said the Glamour Boys will take it one game at a time adding that they first have to clear the hurdle posed by the Wild Boys and hope for the best as another tough test against the winners between Gunners and FC Platinum awaits them in the semi-finals should they succeed on Sunday.
Dynamos continued their preparations yesterday and appeared back in high spirits, a day after a brief strike by the players over outstanding bonuses put a damper on the priceless win over Highlanders.
“We are looking forward to a good game against Shooting Stars and we are not looking down at them just because we beat them recently. I think that could be very dangerous,” warned Arubi.
“This is a new game and we have to maintain our normal play. Actually they are bound to come at us with 150 percent effort and we have to be prepared for that. The good thing is that we have been playing well of late and, of course, cup games are known for their tension but that will not make us change our style,” said Arubi.
Dynamos have enjoyed good returns against Shooting Stars this year after completing back to back dominance with a 4-1 win at Rufaro in Callisto Pasuwa’s first game in charge since taking over from Lloyd Mutasa.
DeMbare have lost once since then, winning six league games and posting another vital 1-0 victory over CAPS United in the first round of the Mbada Diamonds Cup.
In the championship race Dynamos have 48 points from 26 games.
Warriors second choice goalkeeper Arubi believes in their destiny in the league and cup competitions and said they would need to deal with the pressure that comes with the ambitions for a dream double.
They face Hwange away, Motor Action at Rufaro, FC Platinum at Mandava and Kiglon at home in their remaining four league games.
“We are not looking too far ahead. Shooting Stars are next in the line and that is where the focus is right now. It’s a cup game and we just have to keep cool heads and hope for the best.
“Whether we will meet Gunners or FC Platinum in the semi finals, that will be another story. Concentration is key at this moment because we also want to win all the remaining league matches to get the title. We should not be carried away especially after the good win over Highlanders because there are difficult games ahead of us.
“We only need to make sure that we collect points and worry less about how our opponents FC Platinum play their games. They have given us good competition and it’s good for football.
“They might be new in the Premiership but the bottom line is they have seasoned players and a lot of quality,” said Arubi.
Platinum are also in the running for a memorable double in their debut season but they have a difficult task against Moses Chunga’s Gunners who derailed their league campaign last weekend following 2-1 reverse.
The teams meet again on Saturday at the Colliery and Rahman Gumbo’s charges will be hoping to spring back and mete out revenge after suffering back-to-back defeats to Chando Kupisa in the league race.
League champions Motor Action will square off with Blue Ribbon at Torwood in Kwekwe while Zimbabwe Saints engage Kiglon in a battle for the lightweights. The winners from that game will face either Motor Action or Blue Ribbon in the last four.
Fixtures
Saturday: Zimbabwe Saints v Kiglon (Chishamiso), FC Platinum v Gunners (Colliery).
Sunday: Motor Action v Blue Ribbon (Torwood), Dynamos v Shooting Stars (Maglas).
Online Reporter
Sidumisile Mabena