Three games in a row?

Denver Mukamba – the cream of their crop of emerging young players – for a Castle Lager Premiership showdown against moneybags FC Platinum at Rufaro this afternoon.
The Glamour Boys also tried, and failed, to have the tie moved to another day because of the absence of Gutu, Mukamba, Devon Chafa and Timire Mamvura who are with the Young Warriors.
Today’s tie features an FC Platinum side representing the new order in domestic football where players are paid handsomely and given decent accommodation by the club in a proper professional set-up.
In the other corner is dear old Dynamos, still trapped in the ownership structures of the ‘60s where the founding fathers call the shots, and still battling a number of challenges related to the team’s funding.
While FC Platinum could use their fat bank balance to woo some of the best players in the domestic Premiership, on the promise of a better lifestyle, cash-strapped Dynamos could only go as far as the Kiglon camp to get personnel.
DeMbare have four players in the Zimbabwe Under-23 team that was scheduled to leave the country this morning on a road trip to Botswana for an All-Africa Games qualifier on Friday.
It remained unclear last night whether Gutu and Mukamba will play today with Dynamos chairman Farai Munetsi saying that they will fight, until the very end, to have their star midfielders in action for the club today.
The Young Warriors’ management was adamant last night that all the players on duty will leave this morning for Botswana but, as happened in Zimbabwean football before, nothing can be taken for granted.
Especially when it comes to Dynamos, given their muscle, and the desperate times that the Harare giants are in right now.
Whatever the outcome, the Glamour Boys will be hoping that they can now, at least, win on the pitch to ease the pressure that has mounted on coach Lloyd Mutasa and his crew.
It was another day pregnant with boardroom maneuvers yesterday, with DeMbare dominating the landscape, as they tried to find the best way to face unbeaten FC Platinum with their strongest possible squad.
One option was for the club to try and hold on to Mukamba and Gutu, who have played so much football in the last few months both for club and country, until after the match today.
The two midfielders would then be released, as soon as the game ended, for them to embark on a road trip to Botswana to connect with their Young Warriors’ teammates.
But sources said yesterday Mutasa was also concerned that it would be unfair on the young players to make them play three big matches, inside six days, coupled with a lengthy road trip.
Mukamba, scorer of a beauty for Dynamos in the last match the Harare giants scored a goal three weeks ago, and the impressive Gutu, have turned themselves into key players at the Glamour Boys.
The Harare giants, winless after two league matches to match their worst start to a season since the turn of the millennium, tried, and failed, to have the match moved to another day.
Dynamos are yet to register a victory in this fresh campaign and have lost to Kiglon (1-0) and champions Motor Action (2-0).
Club Munetsi said they had tried to reach a compromise so that both parties could benefit after PSL indicated that the match would have to be played as scheduled.
“We have four players in the Under-23 squad. We had requested that the match should be cancelled but unfortunately PSL are saying that they passed a resolution that they don’t recognise games outside Fifa calendar.
“And this means we have to play. But why should we play if nearly half of the team is away on national duty?
“So we would be negotiating that we have them for match,” said Munetsi.
The All-Africa Games qualifiers don’t fall on a Fifa date and, technically, they cannot be used as a reason to postpone a football tie.
But the Young Warriors team manager Wellington Mpandare last night said he was now leaving with all the players in camp.
The team was expected to leave today at dawn.
“There were plans that Archie and Denver would follow after the Platinum match but it was not going to be feasible because our match is on Friday and the Plumtree border closes at 10pm and would only arrive a day before the match.
“Their coach indicated to us that he could no longer use them because they are obviously focussed on Friday’s match and cannot manage to play again on Wednesday after playing on Sunday.
“They didn’t contact me again so I am now leaving with all the players,” said Mpandare.
However, Dynamos assistant coach Ralph Kawondera said the team was ready for the battle – even without the key players.
“The absence of these players should not affect our team’s performance. We lost at the weekend fielding those players so we can as well win without them.
“We will just assume they are out with injuries. We didn’t train with them the whole week so it was not going to be possible to use them. We have depth in our team,” said Kawondera.
The assistant coach said they were not under pressure to deliver after suffering consecutive league defeats.
“Every game is a new game. In football there is a bad spell but losing two games doesn’t mean we will continue losing matches.
“Those two defeats are now water under the bridge and we are focussed on the new game. We have been working very hard,” said Kawondera.
The Glamour Boys are unfazed by the fact that the newboys have won their first two matches and have some of the best players in the Premiership.
Platinum have Golden Boot winner Norman Maroto, Soccer Star of the Year Charles Sibanda, Bheki Ncube, goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube and Joel and Zephaniah Ngodzo in their star-studded team.
“They have assembled a good squad with experienced players. But we will not look much into that.
“We have prepared thoroughly and we will not approach this match differently,” said Kawondera.
It will be the first away trip for FC Platinum this season after beating Shooting Stars 2-0 and Monomotapa 3-0 at Maglas.
FC Platinum coach Benjamin Moyo told The Chronicle that they were ready for the showdown and were not under pressure to face DeMbare.
“Our preparations for the game are quite fine and morale in camp is ok as the players know that there is a job to do. We are not under pressure at all.
“We still have a long way to go before we become a complete side and I am happy that we are making steady progress from where we are coming from.
“For tomorrow’s (today) game we do not have any injuries at all and everyone is available for selection,” Moyo said.
The Zvishavane side have a chance to join red-hot pacesetters CAPS United on nine points, from three games, should they beat Dynamos this afternoon.
Former DeMbare players Benjamin Marere, Khumbulani Banda and Thabani Kamusoko are now at FC Platinum.
Marere, who said DeMbare treated him badly last season, had a blinding game for his team when they thrashed Monomotapa at the weekend and will again be a key man.