admin
Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS coach Baltemar Brito is set to participate in the age-old Battle of Zimbabwe for the first time tomorrow when he leads the Bulawayo giants against their traditional football rivals Dynamos at the National Sports Stadium.
Brito becomes the first Bosso coach in post Covid-19 era to play DeMbare away since 2019 when Dutchman Hendrik de Jongh defended their dominance in open play against the Harare giants, in the last half decade, with a hard fought 1-1 draw at Rufaro.
Brito has been credited with bringing a positive influence in Bosso’s play since his arrival earlier this year. He also broke Bosso’s 32-match winless jinx outside Bulawayo when his team beat Yadah 3-2 at the National Sports Stadium.
Bosso, who were reeling in the bottom half of the table for most of the first half of the season, have since stormed the top four.
This has been a great turnaround led by the Portuguese mentor, who kicked off his tenure with a shock 1-2 defeat to basement side Whawha at Ascot back in July.
Brito has directly presided in 11 league games for Highlanders, winning five, drawing four and losing two, to amass 19 points.
His opposite number Tondarai Ndiraya has a slight edge after collecting up 21 points during the same period. Dynamos have won six times, drawn thrice and lost twice ever since Brito took charge of his first game at Highlanders.
While the Portuguese coach only has an idea of the intensity of the enduring rivalry between Dynamos and Highlanders, Ndiraya is a seasoned campaigner in these duels, both as a player and a member of the technical team.
Brito had not yet arrived at Bosso earlier this year when the giants were involved in an emotionally charged game, that was later disrupted by ugly scenes violence and hooliganism, at Barbourfields.
Both clubs incurred fines from the Premier Soccer League but Highlanders were awarded the match on a 3-0 scoreline.
The Portuguese coach, however, is hoping for an incident-free contest and pleaded with the spectators to behave well tomorrow, for the sake of preserving the beauty of the game and the integrity of their common sponsor, Sakunda Holdings.
“This is a game between the two biggest cities of the country. It’s a game between two different teams with different DNA. Right now they have something in common, which is Sakunda.
“We hope fans will thank Kuda Tagwirei by showing good behaviour and we want to see families supporting their teams and at the end of the day we want Highlanders to win,” said Brito.
“The support from the fans is very important. The support should not only be there when we are winning but when in difficult situations. We need to support and push the players. Normally our fans always give us support.”
Ndiraya also echoed the same sentiments when he said, “We expect a very exciting match and hopefully it can be played in a peaceful atmosphere and the fans can enjoy the match without any negative incidents.
“We don’t want that game to be disturbed by violence. Hopefully, we can all maintain peace and enjoy the entertainment of that big match on Sunday.”
Harare giants Dynamos face mounting pressure after losing the title to FC Platinum. They have also not beaten Highlanders in the last five years or so. Since Ndiraya’s arrival for the latest coaching stint at DeMbare, he has faced off with three different coaches at Highlanders, losing 0-1 to Madinda Ndlovu and then drawing 1-1 with Hendrik Pieter de Jongh, both in 2019.
Highlanders were under Mandla Mpofu when the first edition of the Battle of Zimbabwe was played at Barbourfields in May this year. Now, Brito stands in his way.
Although their clash tomorrow has nothing much in it especially after FC Platinum wrapped up the title contest last week, with three games to go, the two giants are set to fight for the bragging rights.
Dynamos, however, are coming from a 0-1 defeat at Bulawayo City while Highlanders are in high spirits following their 2-1 triumph over Bulawayo Chiefs. Still, Ndiraya was undeterred.
“Our game against Highlanders is self-motivating, if you ask me,” said Ndiraya.
“There is not much work we do as coaches when it comes to those big matches.
“It’s a big one and we are waiting for it. It’s unfortunate that we are going into that game on the back of a defeat. But this is the football terrain. This is what we find ourselves and what we find ourselves in and we just have to lift our heads and play.
“We are playing at home, so obviously we want to try and use our home advantage and get maximum points,” he added.
Fixtures:
Today: ZPC Kariba v Bulawayo City (Nyamhunga); Harare City v Whawha (NSS); Chicken Inn v CAPS Utd (Luveve); FC Platinum v Yadah (Mandava); Black Rhinos v Manica Diamonds (Vengere); Tenax v Ngezi Platinum Stars (Sakubva)
Tomorrow: Cranborne Bullets v Triangle (Vengere); Bulawayo Chiefs v Herentals (Luveve); Dynamos v Highlanders (NSS)
Online Reporter