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Eddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
CAPS United coach Lloyd Chitembwe says his team has a big task on their hands this afternoon when they take on league champions Chicken Inn in the semi-finals of the NetOne Easycall Cup at Barbourfields.
The Green Machine were boosted yesterday by the return of Ronald Pfumbidzai from a short stint in Europe and the left-back inked a three-year deal with the club although he is unavailable today.
The club’s leadership, who have also targeted Raphael Manuvire of ZPC Kariba, believe that Pfumbidzai’s return and commitment to the club will boost his former teammates who know that their leaders are building a strong team for next season.
CAPS are looking to build on the momentum they picked in the final stages of the league campaign, which ended last week, when they thumped relegated side Whawha 3-1 at the National Sports Stadium.
However, Chitembwe, who was voted Coach of the Month in November after leading Makepekepe on a late charge in the Premiership race, yesterday said they were not taking anything for granted in their battle against the Gamecocks.
CAPS United fans have been waiting for a silverware in their cabinet for some time now and their hopes have been boosted, in recent weeks, by the good performance of their team.
The former Cup Kings have been impressive since Chitembwe, a decorated player at the club who won three league titles, was asked to come back and take charge of the team after a period of turbulence.
The arrival of Harare businessman Farai Jere, as the majority shareholder at the club, brought the stability that the club wanted, with funds being pumped into the team’s coffers, and his decision to bring back Chitembwe improved results on the pitch.
Chitembwe has spent the past week attending a CAF coaching course and, given that he was scheduled to attend another function in Harare last year, where the 2015 Soccer Star of the Year and Coach of the Year were being honoured, it means that he is only due to fly to the City of Kings this morning.
And he knows that he has a tough battle against the man who was crowned the Coach of the Year this season, Joey Antipas, who completed the remarkable transformation of being accussed as a match-fixing agent, just three years ago, to be given the highest honour that can be bestowed on a coach on the domestic scene.
Antipas, too, will be on the same flight with Chitembwe this morning for their showdown in the City of Kings.
Chitembwe believes that his men, who avoided defeat against Chicken Inn in the league, winning at home and drawing in Bulawayo, have a tougher task this time around.
“This is a Cup game and everyone in our team is looking forward to it. The boys are prepared to do what they are supposed to do and I am happy with the spirit in our camp,” said Chitembwe.
“But remember we are facing the league champions. Chicken Inn have just been crowned the champions of Zimbabwe and that alone shows the magnitude of the challenge that we have on our hands. It’s a big game.”
Makepekepe thumped Hwange 3-1 in the quarter-finals, with an impressive display of attacking football that overawed their opponents in the second half, on an afternoon they could have scored double the number of goals they got in the game.
Their goals came from captain Moses Muchenje, the revitalised Hardlife Zvirekwi and their man-of-the moment Joel Ngodzo.
Ngodzo’s goal was a beauty with the born-again midfielder dribbling past the goalkeeper, who had come off his line, before – from a very acute angle wide on the right, hitting the ball with the outside of his boot to find the target.
Chicken Inn claimed a 4-3 penalty shoot-out win over ZPC Kariba after their quarter-final tie had ended goalless.
Makepekepe will go into the semi-final with their spirits high as they have been enjoying a rich vein of form in the last month.
The Green Machine are looking to field their strongest team after Leonard Tsipa recovered from the injury that had kept him on the sidelines of late.
Antipas said their focus at the moment was securing a slot in the final.
“We are looking forward to this match. It’s a chance for the boys to finish off the season in style but we don’t expect it to be easy against CAPS United.
“They are our bogey side, you know. They are also one of the teams that are playing very well at the moment so we expect a tough game from them,” said Antipas.
The big match, which is live on SuperSport, is likely to feature the five best players in the league this season, the best coach, and the league’s comeback kid who returns to his hometown having revived his career, and a striker who has been scoring for fun of late.
Dominic Chungwa looked like an outcast, when he moved from Dynamos back to CAPS United, during the mid-season transfer break that even his own fans didn’t want him to play for the team. But he has found his range, of late, taking full advantage of Tsipa’s absence to score some crucial goals for the Green Machine and, suddenly, the fans love him again.
Chicken Inn will be celebrating not only their rise to be the champions of Zimbabwe football but also their midfielder Danny “Deco” Phiri’s rise to be the best player in the domestic Premiership after he was named the 2015 Soccer Star of the Year last night.
They also have a number of players who were honoured for their outstanding show this year, including goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze, midfielder Clemence Matawu and striker Edmore Chirambadare.
Online Reporter