adminMoffat Mungazi
TALENTED Mutare-born Harare City Football Club midfielder, Hibron “Adhala Chommiey” Makukutu is optimistic that his team will overpower Zambian outfit Zanaco in tomorrow’s (Saturday) first leg of the Caf Confederations Cup First Round tie. The Sunshine City Boys face The Bankers, who will not be enjoying the home comforts of their Sunset Stadium in Lusaka.
Kick-off is 3pm.
Harare City progressed into this round after dispatching Malagasy side AS Adema 6-3 on aggregate over two legs in the preliminary round to advance and book a ticket into the competition’s first round stage.
And Makukutu believes they have what it takes to upset their next opponents, who he, however, concedes are more formidable than the previous one.
Zanaco find themselves in the first round without kicking a ball after they were exempted from the preliminary stage and received a bye.
“Our progress from the preliminary into the first round of this competition definitely presents a different and stiffer challenge for us. Zanaco will be no easy opponents, but I believe that we have enough arsenal to destroy them in their own backyard and am confident that we are going to do the job.
Our desire is to pull through again to the second round, but it remains one game at a time for us. We have to clear this first leg hurdle by garnering a favourable result away in Zambia on Saturday (tomorrow) by securing an outright victory or at least a draw.
“It is good that we are starting away from home and are aiming to bring a good lead back home so that we make life easier for ourselves and complete the job in the second leg.
Still, a draw will not be bad for us and if that happens then we have to fight for a scoring draw. We are always playing to win all our matches and this one is no exception; we are pushing harder and stronger this year,” said Makukutu in an interview early this week.
The former Highway captain and diminutive midfield dynamite added that although Harare City are competing in the Caf club competitions for the first time, they will not be intimidated by Zanaco’s profile who have previously taken part in both the Caf Champions League and Confederations Cup, losing at the quarter-finals stage in 2010 in the latter competition.
Interestingly, both sets of coaches – the Sunshine City Boys’ Taurai Mangwiro and The Bankers’ Numba Mumamba – are also competing in the Caf competitions for the first time.
Harare City, active players on the off-season transfer window during which they snapped up the likes of Raphael Manuvire, Ronald Chitiyo, Blessing Moyo and Farai Madhanhanga, on paper look like they have a squad that can do the job and this is where Makukutu’s confidence is stemming from.
Gifted playmaker Manuvire has had an explosive start and been in impressive form so far this season, scoring twice against AS Adema in Harare before adding another in Antananarivo.
Makukutu, who plays in the same position as Manuvire and Chitiyo, sees loads of potential in the squad, which can unlock a lot of teams; Zanaco included.
“As a unit, we are progressing with each outing and are hungrier for success this season.
The squad is stronger, the fighting spirit is there, vying for playing slots is competitive and morale is very high in the camp. We want to go all the way in this competition and are gearing for that eventuality,” the Sakubva-bred star said.
Makukutu, who is working hard to force his way back into the first team following a layoff due to a groin injury from which he has fully recovered, also emphasised the need for Harare City to score an early goal away in Lusaka so as to unsettle their opponents and take the game to them.
Harare City go into this match with their tails up and buoyed by their 4-3 penalty shootout victory over CAPS United in a ZNA Charities Shield match on Sunday to power into the semi-finals and will be out to carry the gathered momentum onto the continent as they square off against Zanaco.
Online Reporter