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Bukhosi Mangena Sports Correspondent
ZIFA Southern Region Division One outfit Bantu Rovers will play against newly promoted Premier Soccer League side Bulawayo City FC in a friendly match at Barbourfields Stadium tomorrow morning. Both teams will the encounter to fine tune their preparations for the 2016 season. City lost 0-2 to Harare City last weekend and will be hoping to recover from that defeat by getting a win against ambitious Bantu Rovers who are Southern Region Soccer League’s championship hopefuls.
Bantu Rovers coach Mandla Mpofu said the purpose of the match was not going to be result driven as they wanted to access their players’ fitness levels and see if their combinations are working out.
“We are going to play in a friendly match on Sunday to assess how far we have gone in terms of reaching the standard fitness levels because the new season is slowly approaching. We also want to try out a few combinations and the game will not necessarily be about results,” said Mpofu.
Bantu Rovers have beefed their squad for the coming season, bringing on board the Technosphere FC duo of Polite Moyo and Fortune Nkomazana, Bulawayo Chiefs captain Lindelani “Vice” Ncube, Nust forward Elton Ndlovu, Mpopoma Pirates’ Jillian Nsingo and Ntabazinduna’s Joshua Wilson.
These players join the likes of former Highlanders and FC Platinum defender Zephaniah Ngodzo, national Under-20 duo of Bukhosi Sibanda and Denzel Khumalo as well as seasoned striker Lenience Mpofu.
The Bantu Rovers coach believes that with the calibre of players in their squad they can effectively challenge for the title.
“We are very confident that this is our year because the players we signed are adapting to the club’s philosophy. They know what to expect because they have been there in the lower division,” Mpofu said.
Their opponents are also downplaying tomorrow’s friendly match with City chairman saying: “We are going to play Bantu on Sunday but it is a minor game for us and we will take it as a training session.”
Online Reporter