Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
IS this the day the Castle Lager Premiership title race will effectively be DECIDED?
That could be the case if Peter Ndlovu, ushered into the Scottland hot seat this week, loses his first game against CAPS United at Rufaro this afternoon. After all the drama yesterday, amid allegations of match-fixing, the focus turns onto the field today.
CAPS United coach, Takesure Chiragwi, says their mission remains to break into the top four rather than derail Scottland’s charge for the championship. A win for the Scotts today will see them reducing the gap at the top to five points, with a game in hand.
But they face a Makepekepe hurdle which will be tough to clear given the theories surrounding it.
The reverse fixture at the National Sports Stadium was immersed in controversy after CAPS United lost 2-0.
The Green Machine eventually fired their goalkeeper Wallace Magalane.
And the tension, going into today’s fixture is pulpable, but Chiragwi said he isn’t paying attention to anything else outside his technical jurisdiction. He knows Scottland are gunning to defend the league title.
But, for him, taking Makepekepe into the top four is all that matters.
The Green Machine are only a point off fourth-placed Dynamos and they will jump over them with a win against Scottland going into the last two games of the season.
“Yeah, football is always about expression. Football, the pressure that we have in football, it’s about playing to win.
“Every time we prepare to win every game that we play.
“Football has got three results, the most precious and important result is for us to win, rather than the other two results – to draw and to lose a match.
“Our preparations, obviously, every time is directed towards winning and we always pray for that.
“We always make sure that our preparations are for the guys to do well in all aspects of the game so that we can come up as the better team of the day.”
He added:
“We are looking to get maximum points against Scottland and break into the top four.
“If you do well tactically, with and without the ball, in transition, I think we can do better and take our chances that come our way.
“Playing games like these, you know, they are fighting for the championship, we are also fighting to get into the top four, so it’s going to be a very exciting game and the guys know what is at stake.
“They know exactly what (is required).”
Scottland are fresh from exiting from the CAF Champions League where they lost 3-0 to Angola’s Petro de Luanda last Friday.
They were carrying a 2-0 lead from the first leg.
The Mabvuku team responded by firing coach Norman Mapeza.
Former Warriors captain Ndlovu has taken over on an interim basis and will take charge of Mabviravira for the first time against the Green Machine.
CAPS United will be without the injured quartet of Tanaka Shandirwa, Tinotenda Meke, Washington Arubi and Chinga Chitoshi.
