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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
DYNAMOS will be without Roderick Mutuma when they meet How Mine tomorrow in the quarter-finals of the NetOne Easycall Cup at Rufaro as they have decided to rest their injured star striker.
Mutuma sustained an Achilles tendon injury in the Harare derby against CAPS United last weekend and has failed to recover fully in time for tomorrow’s match.
Even though coach Tonderayi Ndiraya has been hopeful that the striker would pass a late fitness test, the DeMbare team manager Richard Chihoro yesterday broke the news that they have decided to give the player a break so that he recovers well.
This development would be a blow to the Glamour Boys family as they know that the influential striker can carry the day for their side when on song.
Despite his subdued performances lately, the former CAPS United striker can always spring a surprise inside the box.
Mutuma hasn’t scored a goal in DeMbare’s last four matches but his aggressiveness would be missed tomorrow afternoon.
In his absence, gaffer Ndiraya can start with a combination of Takesure Chinyama and Richard Kawondera and then maybe later replace Chinyama with Farai Mupasiri as the veteran striker is no longer effective playing 90 minutes.
Apart from Mutuma, the team welcomes back the defensive pair of Sydney Linyama and Elisha Muroyiwa who is back in action this weekend.
And Ndiraya says they predict a difficult match as their opponents thrive on beating the traditional big clubs.
“We predict a very difficult match, a very difficult afternoon. How Mine are known to be giant-killers, we are well aware of that and we are planning accordingly. We want to pull through to the next round so we are putting a lot of hard work so that we achieve that goal,” he said.
The former Dynamos midfielder said despite things not going their way in recent matches, they have to keep on believing.
“We believe and we hope to keep believing until the end of the competition, we play every competition to win but unfortunately in football sometimes it does not go your way.
“Whenever we start a tournament, our main objective is to win that tournament so it is the same case with the Easycall Cup and I hope we will go all the way to the final.
“That’s our wish, and I strongly believe with the squad we have, we can really get to the final like we did in the previous Cups,” said Ndiraya.
However, the youthful gaffer believes his team is improving from each outing and after posting a 1-1 draw in the last match against bitter rivals CAPS United last weekend after having lost to ZPC Kariba in the previous game.
“We lost in the Cup (Chibuku Super Cup) and we drew against a very good CAPS United side last weekend and that is obviously giving us a lot of confidence after coming from a defeat and a draw with a big team then that gives you confidence. You would believe that the team is improving and we hope that our next encounter we will be gunning for a victory. . .that’s what we want to do.
“I hope we get our first win after going for four games without a win, the boys are showing a strong mentality and I hope they will take that strong mentality to the How Mine match on Sunday,” he said.
Ndiraya says they will take How Mine lightly at their own peril.
“How Mine is not a small team they were very busy on the market at the beginning of the season and they have some good players. They brought in quiet a good number of quality players so that alone is keeping us on our toes. We are not taking them lightly, they are a very good side so we need to be at our best to get a good result on Sunday.
“I think we are all in the same scenario with all the other teams, we are pushing in the league to see where we finish at the end of the season but this is a chance for us to win a Cup title, it’s something we can control if we win all our matches in the Cup then we will clinch the Cup and on top of that it has become the richest Cup and like we have said before our culture at Dynamos is to win every competition we play in and the Easycall Cup comes at no better time to do that,” said Ndiraya.
How Mine coach Jerry Makota says they would be the underdogs when they meet champions Dynamos in the match at Rufaro tomorrow, but he believes they can also spring up a surprise as they have battle-hardened players who can carry the day for them as they are also eyeing to finish the season with some silverware.
Following a disappointing season for Chikurupati which started on a promising note as the club went on a recruitment drive, Makota, who was elevated to the hot seat after the departure of Luke Masomere, said the season may end on a high for them after all.
“We have prepared well and we have a full squad so we should be able to play well.
“We haven’t been playing well in the league and would want to lift some trophy before the season ends. We lost to Dynamos in the two league matches this season and we are going into this match as the underdogs.
“But our players are motivated enough, they have gone through so much this season and we are fighting relegation but we are not writing ourselves off and remember there is good money to be won in this tournament,” said Makota.
With the Bulawayo side boasting an array of players such as former Dynamos players Devon Chafa, Tawanda Mparati and goalkeeper Munya Diya, former CAPS United skipper Tapuwa Kumbuyani, veteran strikers Kuda Musharu and Charles Sibanda, the coach says this vast array of experienced players can give them an advantage should they all come to the party.
“Our experienced players can give us an advantage. They are used to playing such games and winning trophies but a Cup game differs and the better team of the day usually wins,” said Makota.
Online Reporter