Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO football fans are in for a treat this afternoon when Luveve Stadium hosts a Premiership doubleheader featuring relegation threatened Bantu Rovers and title-chasing Chicken Inn, who will be home to Black Rhinos and Triangle United respectively.
The treat promises to be a thriller, with the Rovers-Rhinos encounter set to precede the Chicken Inn-Triangle United game.
Rovers, who are second from the bottom on the table with nine points from 20 outings, are hoping to end their 13-match winless streak and hand Rhinos their third consecutive defeat.
Rovers last tasted victory on May 6 when they clobbered Yadah FC 7-2. The best that Rovers have done after that victory were three draws against Tsholotsho FC (1-1), Ngezi Platinum Stars (2-2) and Bulawayo City (0-0) during their 13-match winless run.
Having lost 1-0 away to Triangle where Rovers had a Marvin Sibanda goal disallowed, the relegation threatened Bulawayo side might fancy their chances against a Black Rhinos outfit that is struggling to keep up with the championship chasing teams.
Black Rhinos led for the better part of the first half of the season, but three consecutive defeats against Ngezi Platinum (4-2), Chapungu (3-0) and Dynamos (1-0) have seen them sliding down the ladder to seventh position.
The clash between Rovers and Black Rhinos also presents second-placed Chicken Inn an opportunity to spy on Black Rhinos, who they face in their next league game set for Harare.
Title chasing Chicken Inn, who beat Triangle 1-0 in the first leg courtesy of a Darryl Nyandoro strike, will be hoping to complete a double against the Lowveld side.
Chicken Inn, the 2015 champions, are aware that to keep their title hopes alive they need maximum points and Triangle will not be in Bulawayo just to fulfil the fixture, but to compete.
A victory for Chicken Inn will take them to the top of the table in the event that Ngezi Platinum lose at home to Yadah FC this afternoon.
Chicken Inn’s trump cards include midfielder Innocent Mucheneka, who has been a vital cog in midfield, as well as in their attack, veteran Clemence Matawu, Thabani Goredema, the defending quintet of Passmore Bernard, Moses Jackson, Guide Goddard, Divine Lunga and Ben Nyahunzvi.
Triangle’s defenders must look out for Obidiah Tarumbwa and Nyandoro, who will lead Chicken Inn’s attack.
Chris Mverechena will guard Triangle’s goal with some of the players expected to carry the visitors’ hopes being Brian Juwayeyi, Donald Dzvinyai, veteran Guthrie Zhokinyi, Courage Denias, Lameck Nhamo and Russell Madamombe.
Fixtures
Today: FC Platinum v Bulawayo City (Mandava), Ngezi Platinum v Yadah FC (Baobab), Chapungu v How Mine (Ascot), Chicken Inn v Triangle United (Luveve, 3PM), Bantu Rovers v Black Rhinos (Luveve, 1PM), Harare City v Shabanie Mine (Rufaro), Dynamos v Hwange (Rufaro, 7PM)
Tomorrow: ZPC Kariba v Highlanders (Nyamhunga), Tsholotsho FC v Caps United (Dulivhadzimo)
Table
P W D L F A GD Pts
Ngezi Platinum Stars 20 12 4 4 35 19 16 40
Chicken Inn 20 12 3 5 21 9 12 39
*Dynamos 18 11 3 4 26 16 10 36
FC Platinum 19 9 9 1 19 9 10 36
How Mine 20 9 6 5 16 14 2 33
Highlanders 19 9 5 5 20 15 5 32
Black Rhinos 19 9 4 6 23 15 8 31
ZPC Kariba 20 8 5 7 19 17 2 29
Triangle United 20 7 7 6 19 19 0 28
Bulawayo City 19 7 3 9 21 22 -1 24
*Chapungu 19 6 6 7 13 15 -2 24
Harare City 20 5 7 8 13 14 -1 22
Shabanie Mine 20 5 7 8 13 19 -6 22
Yadah FC 20 5 6 9 15 22 -7 21
Hwange 20 5 5 9 17 24 -7 20
Caps United 14 4 5 5 18 16 2 17
Bantu Rovers 20 2 3 15 18 40 -22 9
Tsholotsho FC 20 0 8 12 9 30 -21 8
*match abandoned
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