Highlanders out to consolidate pole position

13 Jul, 2014 - 15:07 0 Views
Highlanders out to consolidate pole position

The Sunday News

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CASTLE Lager Premier Soccer League log leaders Highlanders will be out to cement their position at the summit as the season reaches its halfway mark when they take on city rivals Bantu Rovers at Barbourfields Stadium this afternoon. The 2006 champions are seeking the elusivetitle, since they were last crowned PSL winners eight years ago and a win this afternoon will give them a psychological edge as they will remain on top going into the second and final round of a rollercoaster season.

Bantu are hovering in the relegation zone as they have only managed to amass 14 points in as many games and they know they have to pick up more points if they are to avoid the dreaded chop at the end of the season.

They sit uncomfortably on third position from the bottom and a loss could give them further misery and a slide down the log.
Tshintsha Guluva, as Bantu is affectionately known, have, however, managed to dominate derbies and after annihilating How Mine 3-1 in their second game of the season, they went on to beat Chicken Inn 2-1 and it remains to be seen whether they can complete a rout of local teams with a win over Highlanders, which will certainly not come easy.

Last Monday Bantu failed to use home advantage against Triangle and settled for a one-all draw after trailing the visitors for the better part of the game. The team failed to make any meaning forays in the final third of the field, and just salvaged a point through a late penalty.

Highlanders on the other hand seem to have found the rhythm at Barbourfields, winning their last two matches against Black Rhinos and How Mine and are not likely to do Bantu any favours as they gun for the Premiership title and satisfy their success hungry fans who are feeling the league championship drought.

However, they should be beware, as a team that is down has got nowhere else to go, but up.
Midfield genius Joel Ngodzo’s performance has improved from a disappointing start, as he has, in the last few games, shown spark,  commanded the middle of the park well with accurate passing while the club’s top goal scorer, Charles Sibanda, with seven goals, has been finding the back of the net regularly along with Gabriel Nyoni, who recovered from an injury scare at the beginning of the season to torment defenders upfront.

Goalkeeper, Ariel “Mangoye” Sibanda’s form seems to be on the rise as he denied How Mine several scoring opportunities with  a top drawer performance as Bosso sailed to a 2-1 victory last Sunday.

Highlanders coach, Kelvin Kaindu says it is critical they end the first half of the season on top of the log as it would give them an advantage going forward and that he was happy that his lads have gained confidence playing at home.

Captain Innocent Mapuranga, Dumisani Ndlovu and Simon Munawa suffered knocks during their practice match against South African side Mamelodi Sundowns on Friday but Kaindu said they are minor and the trio was likely to feature in today’s match.

He said Mthulisi Maphosa has been on the recovery path and has been improving well and might also find some game time with Rahman Kutsanzira being the only player ruled out by injury.

Bantu coach Methembe Ndlovu said they won’t be reading much into records as his side approaches its toughest test to date and was well aware that they go into the match as underdogs.

“We do not want to put ourselves under pressure thinking about wins we had over other city teams, all we should do is put up a good performance. Although we have not been getting the results, I feel the team has been performing well and results could start coming our way,” he said.

Rovers will be missing the services of Fortune Ncube who is out on injury while Lawson Nkomo will have to pass a late fitness test after he got a knock in their game against Triangle.

Tshintsha Guluva welcomes back former Highlanders striker Obadiah Tarumbwa who missed their last game with Ndlovu disclosing that the burly striker trained during the week and was available for selection.

Elsewhere, Caps United face Dynamos in what is expected to be a mouthwatering derby at the National Sports Stadium in Harare this afternoon.
Both teams are on 26 points on the log and are separated by goal difference.

The battle is expected to be much tougher and more intense as the teams play back to back matches with a loss proving to be a psychological blow in the return leg.

Fixtures
Today: Highlanders v Bantu Rovers (Barbourfields), Caps United v Dynamos (National Sports Stadium, 3pm Supersport9), Black Rhinos v How Mine (Rimuka), Buffaloes v Chiredzi (Sakubva), Triangle v Chapungu (Gibbo).

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