The Sunday Mail
Ishemunyoro Chingwere
FC Platinum will pay for beating Dynamos 1-3 league at Mandava Stadium last weekend in this afternoon’s Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final match at the National Sports Stadium in Harare. This is the gospel according to DeMbare striker Rodrick “the Prince” Mutuma. DeMbare take on Pure Platinum Play in the pick of today’s double-header which will also see ZPC Kariba take on Hwange in a lunch-time kick-off.
With the dream of an unprecedented fifth straight league title slowly fading, Dynamos’ hope for major silverware rests with the Chibuku Super Cup.
Mutuma reckons they owe it to the DeMbare faithful to avenge the humiliation suffered in Zvishavane.
“Dynamos are a big institution which must not be humiliated like what happened last weekend at Mandava,” said the striker.
“But we are very lucky in that we have been given the opportunity to turn the tables on them when pain of that defeat is still fresh amongst us.
“It’s a tricky game – but we will throw everything at them to win and coming from that defeat. Our priority will obviously be revenge.”
Having gone four matches without finding the back of the net, the Prince is not at his usual best but said only those who do not know him will bet against him scoring.
Mutuma is yet to score in the country’s premier cup tournament.
“I am a fighter, I will rise,” he vowed.
FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza is bracing for a grueling encounter: “I think this is going to be another massive game but we have to take into consideration that these are two different competitions as well.
“I believe both teams want to go far in this tournament, which makes it a difficult game. We know we have to push to the limits.”
His Dynamos counterpart Tonderai Ndiraya said he got the perfect response he needed from his men when they emphatically dispatched Whawha 5-1 in a mid-week league fixture and expects his team to turn on the power again today.
“We take a positive into the FC Platinum match in that after the previous loss, the team responded well against Whawha and the confidence is back,” said Ndiraya.
“I know the team is still mourning that defeat away in Zvishavane so a win on Sunday will go a long way in giving us that extra push that we need at this time of the season.
“(FC Platinum) are playing good football but they are not a special team, are they? We aided their cause last time and gave them soft goals. I have been telling the boys that our defending on the day was poor and we cannot continue like that if we are to win silverware.
“Dynamos enter every tournament with the sole objective of winning it so we will be competing to win the cup but at the same time we appreciate the threat that FC Platinum pose,” he said.
Fixtures – both at NSS
ZPC Kariba v How Mine (1pm)
FC Platinum v Dynamos (3.30pm)
