dyton mupawaenda
Veronica Gwaze-Sports Reporter
NORTHERN Region Division One champions Chegutu Pirates will be hoping to extend their winning streak when they face their Eastern Region counterparts Bikita Minerals in a Champion of Champions second leg clash at Lithium Stadium in Bikita tomorrow.
In the opening encounter, Chegutu Pirates overpowered Bikita 1-0 at Pfupajena and Pirates coach, Day Gutu believes it will be a tricky and tough examination for his side.
“It will be a tricky encounter for us. We carry a slender lead from the last encounter, something we should be wary of because it simply tells us how strong they are as an opponent.
“As flagship bearers of Northern Region, we want to finish on a high note. We want to continue our winning run that saw us going on for 12 consecutive wins without tasting defeat.” In Bikita, he said, there is a need for his side to bring their A-game if they are to walk away with a victory.
“When we played them in Chegutu, what I saw was a good side, the affair was tight, they would outpace us in some cases,” said Gutu.
“Both sides created fair chances to wrap up the match, fortunately we scored early and quickly changed play to dig deep into defence. “Currently we have been working on tightening the grip on our midfield, we noted that our opponents are highly mobile.
“However, having to play away from our supporters, a win or draw in the worst case will be a fair result but you know cup games are unpredictable.” These outings, added Gutu, will help the newly promoted teams to gauge their performances against equally competitive sides.
The Chegutu based side is also looking to bring in new signings when the season starts.
“It is good to play these cup games because these are the same opponents that we will also meet in the elite league so it is good to familiarise. “New faces are coming to enhance our squad, PSL is different from what we have been playing but we are not going to do a complete overhaul. “New brooms do sweep clean but it is the old ones that know every corner so we are simply going to blend the squad,” said the gaffer.
Bikita Minerals head coach Fastino Mugeji is satisfied with the preparations that his side have been putting in and hopes for a win.
He will not read much into home advantage. “Everything has been going according to plan, we are expecting nothing but a win, our fans need it. In Chegutu we failed to utilise the chances we got, it cost us and this is what we have been working on.
“We will not be banking on home advantage, we cannot do that with Chegutu, knowing how strong they are.
“We are also using the platform to identify the areas that we need to boost as we approach PSL, it will also help us to know what type of players we need to bring in because we definitely need some new faces next year.”
Online Reporter