Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube and Fungai Muderere
HIGHLANDERS trained on Friday and yesterday in a week of turmoil in which industrial action threatened the biggest match of the Castle Lager Premiership second round’s biggest match in Bulawayo today.
Highlanders will play host to Dynamos Game 19 of the 2026 Castle Lager race.
The players had refused to train as they sought to force the club to pay them outstanding salaries and winning bonuses.
Highlanders management has since paid bonuses for one of the matches and has promised to pay more after receiving gate revenue from the blockbuster set to see Barbourfields full to the rafters.
After boycotting training on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Highlanders players trained at Bar-bourfields on the traditional on the eve of a home match schedule.
Yesterday morning they were at Crescent Sports Club a secluded football facility in the periphery of the Bulawayo Central Business District.
“The boys trained on Friday after we settled one winning bonus. They trained again yesterday morning at Crescent Sports Club. It is all systems go against Dynamos, the boys will be at Emagumeni,” said an official at the in-turmoil Highlanders.
The official called on supporters to turn in their numbers as gatetakings will help clear the club’s debts with players and other stakeholders.
“We appeal to our fans to come in numbers for this special game. It is the biggest game of the year here and means so much on our revival path and our fans. Beating Dynamos is always the ultimate op-ponent to beat,” said the club official.
The stage is set, the rivalry is renewed and the tension is already boiling but this year’s Battle of Zim-babwe arrives wrapped in drama as the Bosso House was burning.
Highlanders and Dynamos clash at Barbourfields Stadium this afternoon in a fixture that needs no in-troduction, yet this time the build-up has been hijacked by off-field chaos after Bosso’s preparations were rocked by a players’ strike.
What should have been a disciplined, high-intensity derby build-up turned into uncertainty, with train-ing disruptions forcing emergency meetings and leaving supporters wondering whether their team will be sharp enough for the occasion.
Club chief executive Denzel Mkandla admitted the crisis had spread beyond the pitch.
“It’s not only affecting the players, it’s also affecting the secretariat. We want to make sure that the boys get motivated ahead of this Dynamos match,” he said.
Head coach Benjani Mwaruwari has been left juggling tactics and crisis control, warning that lack of preparations could prove costly in a fixture where margins are razor thin.
“We need to prepare the whole week for a game. But if we don’t train, a lot of things can go wrong,” he said.
DEMBARE QUIET, BOSSO NOISY — THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EDGE
While Highlanders wrestled internal unrest, Dynamos arrive with fanfare as crowds have begun to swell.
The Glamour Boys are expected to rely on structure, discipline and patience, looking to absorb early pressure before striking in transition. In derby football, control of emotion is often just as important as control of the ball.
THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE — BUT THEY DON’T TELL THE FULL STORY
History between these two giants remains tightly contested, but Highlanders still hold a slight statistical edge in recent competitive meetings.
Head-to-head since 2021
On paper, Bosso dominate. In reality, the rivalry has evolved into a war of fine margins, where draws and narrow victories have become the norm rather than the exception.
RECENT FLASHPOINT BETWEEN THE TWO CLUBS
2026: Dynamos 2-2 Highlanders
2025: Dynamos 0–0 Highlanders
2025: Highlanders 1–1 Dynamos
2024: Dynamos 0–2 Highlanders
2024: Highlanders 2–1 Dynamos
2023: Dynamos 3–0 Highlanders
2023: Highlanders 0-0 Dynamos
2022: Dynamos 0-0 Highlanders
2021: Dynamos 1–1 Highlanders
The pattern is unmistakable: cagey affairs, low scoring encounters and matches decided by single mo-ments of brilliance — or costly mistakes.
A MATCH BUILT ON TESION, NOT FORM
These fixtures rarely follow logic. Highlanders may have the historical edge, but Dynamos have shown they can strike at any moment, especially when expectations are low and pressure is high.
Barbourfields will once again be a furnace of noise, emotion and pressure — the kind of environment where early tackles land hard, passes are rushed and heroes are born in seconds.
THE FINAL QUESTION
As kickoff approaches, the narrative is already set:
Can Highlanders shake off internal disruption and rise to the occasion?
Can Dynamos exploit the chaos and seize control of the derby narrative?
Or will the Battle of Zimbabwe once again deliver another tense, tight, unforgettable chapter?
One thing is guaranteed, when Bosso meet DeMbare, nothing ever goes according to script. –
