Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo in Cairo, Egypt
FC PLATINUM arrived in Cairo, Egypt yesterday morning for their Total Caf Champions League match against Al Ahly set for tomorrow night.
The Zimbabwe champions landed in the Egyptian capital following a 12-hour flight that saw them having a brief stopover at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Zambia before heading to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia from where they connected to Cairo.
Highlanders’ chairman and Zifa councillor Kenneth Mhlophe is heading the FC Platinum delegation that has 20 players.
Missing from the travelling party are big defender Lawrence Mhlanga and stocky forward Lameck Nhamo but coach Lizwe Sweswe hopes to pull a Houdini act by stunning the Egyptians at their fortress. “We get down to business this evening (yesterday) at 9PM since the match is also under floodlights,” said Sweswe.
The Zvishavane-based side is bottom of the group with no points after two rounds of matches. They opened the mini-league campaign with a 1-2 loss to Al Hilal of Sudan in Khartoum followed by a 3-0 thrashing by Tunisian side Étoile Du Sahel at Barbourfields Stadium.
Despite the two losses, FC Platinum still holds hope of qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Tomorrow night’s match at the 35 000-seater Al Salam Stadium was sold out last week.
Online Reporter