daniel chigunwe
Sports Reporter
FC PLATINUM coach Norman Mapeza emerged from the two-week World Cup qualifiers break a happy man as he looks to widen options in his team selection ahead of the trip to Luveve to face Bulawayo Chiefs this afternoon.
The former Zimbabwe international gave his players one week off before regrouping last Monday. He told the media that the break gave his players time to recover from various knocks and were now looking to add to their five-game unbeaten run.
The PSL announced the league would resume tomorrow instead of June 22, following the postponement of the COSAFA Cup. But Mapeza was still satisfied by the two-week recess.
“We trained for about a week after we heard about the break and then the following week we gave the guys some days off,” he said.
“We had thought the league would resume on June 22, but it was last Friday that we heard the games will start on the 15th . So, we had to come back early.
“But it’s not only us that were affected by the changes. Most of the clubs also got affected and there is nothing we can do about it.”
Mapeza, however, is exercising caution ahead of the trip as Bulawayo Chiefs have posed challenges to his team in the past. The two sides have faced off eight times since Chiefs’ promotion in 2018, with FC Platinum winning four games, while Chiefs won three.
FC Platinum have not lost a game in their last five outings, to power their way into second place on the log standings, while Chiefs are winless in five games.
Mapeza emphasised the need for thorough preparations, nonetheless.
“Like I said, we started our preparations on Monday and everything has been going on well with us. I am happy most of the guys who were carrying knocks have recovered and we are now looking forward to the Bulawayo Chiefs game, which I don’t think will be easy for us.”
Online Reporter