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Eddie Chikamhi in TUNIS, Tunisia
THE clash between FC Platinum and Etoile du Sahel tomorrow is more of a dead rubber for the Zimbabweans.
But, the Zvishavane miners say they are on a serious mission.
They want to use the experience to prepare themselves for the next edition of the CAF Champions League, which gets underway in August.
The Zimbabwe champions arrived here yesterday afternoon on the back of a disappointing campaign.
Coach Hendrik Pieter De Jongh, who joined the side recently with the aim of helping them turn their fortunes on the continent, yesterday said FC Platinum should use every opportunity they get.
“We have had a long trip. It’s always the case when travelling different parts of Africa, the flights are long,’’ he said.
“But, now we are in Tunis, we have to be focused. We train in the evening because kick-off is evening (9pm Zimbabwean time).
“Of course, this is the last game but remember Champions League will be starting again in August.
“We want to start winning matches. This is football, who said it’s not possible? In football, everything is possible.
“We are not here on a school trip, we are a professional group and we will try to get a good result.’’
The Dutchman said he was impressed by the miners after they made three group stage appearances in as many years.
FC Platinum are still searching for their first win in the group stage.
But, they will need to raise the bar tomorrow knowing they are playing against a side that thrashed them 3-0 at home.
Etoile need maximum points to be sure of a place in the quarter-finals.
“From the start, it was a difficult group. This is a pool that had three teams ranked in the top 10 of the continent’s leagues,’’ the Dutchman said.
“But these guys have been playing to win, we will also try to play for victory on Saturday.’’
Online Reporter