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Eddie Chikamhi, Senior Sports Reporter
GIANTS CAPS United have secured the work permit for their highly-rated Cameroonian recruit Manuel Joseph Mbollo ahead of the big clash against log leaders FC Platinum at Rufaro tomorrow.
The development makes the towering Cameroonian forward available for the clash against one of the Green Machine’s most difficult opponents in the league.
He is one of the three new recruits roped in by the Green Machine to shore up their campaign following a slow start to the 2024 campaign.
The others are defensive midfielder Simbarashe Musukutwa, who joined from Harare City and forward Itai Allen. But the big catch is Mbollo, who is expected to complement the league’s top scorer William Manondo in front of goal. The Green Machine confirmed the Cameroonian will be available for selection tomorrow, having trained with the club for over 10 days.
He has been settling in, having also travelled with the Green Machine for their last assignment, a shock 1-2 defeat to newboys Arenel Movers at Luveve last Sunday. The defeat was a bitter pill for the team as it extended their winless run to five games on the trot. But coach Lloyd Chitembwe is hoping for a turnaround of fortunes tomorrow.
“It’s naturally very disappointing when you lose a match that you are expected to win,” he said in reference to the defeat at Arenel.
“With due respect to Arenel, but at the end of the day, we were expected to win. We should just have done precisely that, but we could not get a win.
“So, we are looking forward to the match (against FC Platinum), though difficult, but at the end of the day these matches are played to be won. We have no reason not to go there believing that we can win.
“(If it was like that), then there is no preparing the team and there is no point to participate. We want to be very good competitors, we go there against FC Platinum and make sure that we are very competitive and give ourselves a very good chance of winning it,” said Chitembwe.
Defender Hastings Chapusha will not be available for selection due to yellow cards suspension. CAPS United are experiencing a bad patch and are currently sitting in 13th place on the log standings with 24 points from 21 games.
FC Platinum in contrast have had a good outing this year. They lead the race with 42 points. The platinum miners boosted their energy levels with a 3-1 thrashing of Herentals in their last outing.
They have not lost a league game to CAPS United since 2017. They will be looking for a double after emerging 3-0 winners in the first leg at Mandava earlier this year.
Online Reporter