DeMbare off to Algiers

loss – maintained yesterday that their Champions League showdown against MC Alger in Algiers on Saturday was not a dead rubber.
The Glamour Boys carry a 4-1 lead going into the second leg, but assistant coach Ralph Kawondera said the tie was still very much alive and his side needed to tread with caution.
Some DeMbare fans believe the tie is as good as over after their team’s emphatic victory, but Kawondera said there was still a big battle to contend with in Algiers.
DeMbare stormed to a 4-0 lead in the first leg at Rufaro, playing some eye-catching football along the way, but the away goal they gifted the Algerians ensured the tie remained alive.
MC Alger can qualify for the second round with a 3-0 victory and, in the murky world of African football where referees can be as much a threat as the opponents for visiting teams, that is certainly not a mountain to climb.
But, then, as the Algerians attack in numbers, in search for goals to turn it around, chances are that they will leave open spaces in their defence line and Dynamos could capitalise on that and grab a crucial away goal.
The Glamour Boys have traditionally done very well in Algeria, in particular, and North Africa, in general, and Sunday Chidzambwa and his men shocked US Chaouia with a win in Algeria.
As the Dynamos project started taking its shape, one of the concerns appears to be their lack of an experienced gunslinger and while Roderick Mutuma has potential, he still has a lot to do to become a trusted gunman.
The Glamour Boys will leave this afternoon aboard an Ethiopian Airways flight on a 24-hour trip that will take them through Addis Ababa and Rome before arriving in the Algerian capital Algiers around mid-day tomorrow.
Dynamos will be led by club vice-chairman Kenny Mubaiwa and committee member Mike George in the absence of chair-man Farai Munetsi, who is away in Switzerland on business trip.
The match against the Algerian champions is on Saturday evening at 7pm in the 80 000-seater Stade 5 Juillet 1962 Stadium.
The DeMbare technical team yesterday announced a largely unchanged provisional squad of 19 that included the talismanic midfield duo of Denver Mukamba and Archford Gutu, Washington Arubi and defender Guthrie Zhokinyi who were on national duty with the Warriors in Mali over the weekend.
Kawondera yesterday said DeMbare were hoping to finish off their opponents in their backyard.
“It’s not over yet. We are going there with an open mind and since this is a new game altogether, we just want to play our game and enjoy it,” said Kawondera.
“It’s a fact that we carry a good lead from the first leg but we are not going to allow ourselves to go onto the pitch with that mentality.
“MC Alger are a good side, hence we should not relax.
“It’s a new game and we must play to win as if there was no first leg.”
The quartet of Arubi, Muka-mba, Gutu and Zhokinyi arrived in the early hours yesterday after getting stranded in Kenya en route from Mali where the Warriors lost 1-0 in an Africa Cup of nations qualifier.
Kawondera said the players trained with the rest of the team at Gwanzura yesterday with no apparent signs of fatigue.
The former Blackpool player remained upbeat despite their 1-0 defeat to Kiglon in the Castle Lager Premiership season opener last Sunday.
“That is now behind us. We discussed it with the players and we
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DeMbare off to Algiers
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all share the same belief that in football three are three outcomes to be expected, which are win, draw or defeat,” said Kawondera.
“It’s part of the game and we have to remain positive. We just don’t have to lose focus.”
But Dynamos were sweating over the fitness of three players David Kutyauripo, Timire Mamvura and Dominic Benati, who limped off the pitch after taking a knock on Sunday.
It’s most likely that one of the players from the injured trio will not make the trip.
DeMbare had a solid start to this year’s campaign as they carry a healthy 4-1 cushion from the first leg encounter played at Rufaro 10 days ago.
Dynamos, who had a bye in the preliminary round, virtually put one leg into the second round stage and a possible date with Sudanese giants El Merreikh, with goals from Mutuma, Farai Vimisayi, Mukamba and Zhokinyi, who converted the opener from the penalty spot.

Dynamos squad:

W. Arubi, M. Nyamupangedengu, D. Kutyauripo, T. Magorimbo, D. Benati, G. Magariro, G. Zhokinyi, G. Bello, T. Mamvura, D. Chafa, F. Vimisayi, D. Maringwa, D. Mukamba, N. Alifandika, M. Makopa, A. Gutu, T. Muparati, R. Mutuma, P. Kumbula