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Eddie Chikamhi
Senior Sports Reporter
FC PLATINUM coach, Norman Mapeza, says the bubble camp they have had in Harare was critical in helping them ahead of their CAF Confederation Cup group stage play-off match against Senegalese giants ASC Jaraaf.
The two teams clash at the National Sports Stadium this Sunday, behind closed doors.
The match will be broadcast live on ZTV.
There will also be live streaming on FC Platinum’s Facebook page.
The return leg is set for February 21 at the Stade Demba Diop in Dakar.
The Zvishavane side have been in a bubble camp, since last week, and are looking to wrap up their preparations tomorrow.
Mapeza told The Herald yesterday the last few days have given him quality time with his players.
FC Platinum, who started preparations a week late because of the delays in getting approvals from the parent ministry, intensified their sessions when they set up a bubble camp in Harare.
“It’s always good to have everybody in camp. It comes with its own advantages because you will be doing so many things together, and at the same time,’’ he said.
‘’It’s also very good, for bonding purposes so, I think, this has helped us a lot.
“So far, so good, I can’t complain about our preparations.
‘’I am happy with the attitude, and the commitment, being shown by the boys. It’s always pleasing to see the guys pushing.
“We are preparing for a big match on Sunday. The objective is still the same. We need to go to the group stage of the Confederation Cup.’’
FC Platinum dropped from the Champions League, into the second-tier Confederation Cup, following a controversial 1-4 aggregate defeat to Tanzanian outfit Simba SC.
But, they need to overcome the play-offs hurdle, to get the ticket to the Group stage of the competition.
Mapeza said the events in Tanzania, where they complained about the treatment they got from their hosts, opened his players’ eyes to the challenges encountered in the jungles of African football.
They were only told, barely two hours before kick-off, that five of their players, including skipper Petros Mhari, had tested positive for Covid-19.
“We have been talking to the boys and the message was clear that we should score, as many goals as we can, because these two-legged games are always tricky.
‘’It’s very important for us to maximise on our home advantage.
“Of course, people still talk about what happened in Tanzania and us losing 4-0.
‘’But, I think so many things happened behind the scenes, and we spoke to the boys that it’s now water under the bridge.
“These are some of the things that happen out there and I think they were beyond our control.
“It’s very important to stay focused on this game.”
ASC Jaraaf arrived in Harare on Wednesday and had their first full training session yesterday.
The Dakar outfit are coming into this game on the back of a promising league campaign at home.
They have won their last three matches, on the bounce, to assume pole position after six rounds.
They earned their place in the Confederation Cup group play-offs after edging fellow West Africans, FC San Pedro of Cote d’Ivoire, in the first round.
The teams were inseparable after the two-legged first round tie had ended in a 2-2 stalemate.
But, Jaraaf pulled through on the away goals rule, courtesy of the 2-1 away win in the second leg.
They had also beaten Kano Pillars of Nigeria 3-1, in controversial circumstances, in the preliminary round.
Online Reporter