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Eddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza is keeping his feet on the ground as he leads his in-form side into their fourth battle against Harare giants CAPS United at the National Sports Stadium this afternoon.
Mapeza has inspired a winning spirit since his arrival in the visitors’ camp following a slow start this season and today they will be looking to consolidate their place in the top four.
The platinum miners have won all three meetings between the sides this year after clashing in first round of the league and then in the ZNA Charities final and the Chibuku Super Cup quarter-finals.
All the matches were played at Mandava.
But the big question is, will the visitors have it their way again today?
Mapeza sounded cautious yesterday.
“This is a different ball game and we cannot bank on past records. The moment we start talking about what happened in the past, there is a danger that we may deceive ourselves.
“We have talked to the players about the issue of complacency and we expect positive responses.
“I am sure it’s not going to be an easy game. CAPS United have just lost their last game and they wouldn’t want to lose again.
“So, it’s a massive game for us. We know what to expect from our opponents but our biggest hope is that if things go well we should go back home with maximum points,” said Mapeza.
The platinum miners are coming from a morale-boosting 2-0 win over ZPC Kariba, which propelled them into fourth place in the title race.
Youngsters Wisdom Mutasa and Walter Musona have been instrumental in their rise as they have weighed in with some vital goals of late.
Mapeza has invested so much trust in the youth players, who also include the likes of Tatenda Dzumbunu, Obrey Chirwa, Raphael Muduviwa, Kelvin and Elvis Moyo.
The former national team coach will have almost all his players available for selection as they have no major injury worries in their camp.
CAPS United will be hoping to put behind them their off-field woes and get it right this time against their nemesis.
The Green Machine are coming from a morale-shattering weekend at Triangle which was marred by threats of boycotts by players over bonuses and unrest among their supporters.
The technical team, led by Taurai Mangwiro, has been doing more of motivational work to get the players into the right frame of mind ahead of the game.
Mangwiro believes his side was ready to turn the tables and has also appealed to their supporters to rally behind the team even in difficult times.
“We have been talking to the players, urging them to forget about whatever happened before we went to Triangle and to focus our attention at the job at hand,” said Mangwiro.
“Of course, three times we have lost to FC Platinum this year but remember we are having a proud home record that we want to protect.
“It’s quite remarkable that we have not lost a match at home this year. We also draw comfort from the fact that we haven’t lost back-to-back to any team.
“We have told the players to concentrate on playing football. We also need our fans to rally behind the team at this crucial stage of the competition.
“It’s sad that some people don’t see the potential in this team. We are on a very good position on the log standings and by taking that into consideration we expect everybody to rally behind the team instead of unfair criticism and putting the team under pressure.
“I know the expectations could be high but let’s try to be realistic. We want constructive criticism, we cannot be in the papers for the wrong reasons all the time.” Makepekepe will be without Hardlife Zvirekwi who has a groin injury and Leonard Fiyado who is still battling an ankle knock.
Forward Pervington Zimunya missed yesterday’s training as he has reportedly gone AWOL. CAPS United are currently third in the marathon with 45 points in the bag while FC Platinum are a just rung down with 41 points in the battle for the top four finish.
Online Reporter