From Eddie Chikamhi in LUANDA, Angola

DYNAMOS defender David Kutyauripo has played up the Harare giants’ chances of making the group stages of the Confederation Cup as they clash with Angolan side Interclube in the third round playoffs at the Estadio 22 de Junho in Luanda this afternoon.

The match will kickoff at 6:00pm Zimbabwean time (5:00pm in Angola) because of the hot weather conditions.

The Zimbabwean champions will troop onto the pitch knowing that any result other than a win or a scoring draw would mean doom to their ambitions in Africa this year.

Dynamos were relegated to the second tier competition after crashing out of the prestigious Champions League in the second round on a 7-1 aggregate loss to holders Esperance of Tunisia.

But the new campaign got off to a poor start when they were held to a goalless draw by the tactically sound Angolans who are now hoping to pull the mat from under the visitors’ feet at their compact 8 000-seater stadium.

With the temperatures ranging over 26 degrees in the humid coastal weather, DeMbare appear to have mountains to climb as they also have to adjust quickly to the conditions. Kutyauripo said DeMbare are not bothered much and were ready to get a positive result against the Angolan police outfit. “We know we are in enemy territory but I have played in many crucial games before. The best thing to do under the circumstances is to read the game early and maintain 100 percent concentration.

“I believe we just don’t have to carry a negative attitude onto the match just because we are playing away. In fact all the guys are geared up and I am 100 percent confident we will get a positive result,” said Kutyauripo.

DeMbare arrived in Angola last Friday evening and trained at the match venue yesterday. The Glamour Boys are expected to throw numbers in attack as they desperately need to score to make the away goals rule work in their favour. A scoring draw will see them through while in the likely event of a goalless draw the teams would head for the penalty shootout lottery.

“We have no pressure at all because we didn’t let them score in Harare. We will just go out there and lift the gear up the first 15 minutes to see if we can get a goal to unsettle them,” said Kutyauripo.

“If that doesn’t happen then we may sit back like they did when they came to Zimbabwe for

the first leg and then hope for the counter attack. But the aim is to attack and be cautious at the back.

“Interclube have some big guys and they rely on long balls, which really frustrated us in the first leg but I think everyone is up for the challenge this time.”

DeMbare are coming from a morale-boosting 6-0 drubbing of Blue Rangers in a league game last week while Interclube beat Recreativo de Caala 3-0.

Coach Kalisto Pasuwa said they will not make changes to the team that featured in that game and will be looking up to the attacking pair of Takesure Chinyama and Roderick Mutuma to deliver upfront. The coaches could also be tempted to play with three strikers including Martin Vngesayi to boost their potency.

Zambian Arthur Kaseloki and Tawanda Muparati should be handed the starting place in the midfield at the expense of youngster Tichaona Mabvura who is also a worthy option following his good performance in the domestic   league last week.

But Interclube will be aiming to maximise on home advantage. The club has been doing well under Portuguese coach Bernadino Pedroto, whose tactical shrewdness is held with high regard in the Southern African country.

Pedroto holds the record of winning five Angolan league titles and four Super Cups, a feat no other coach has achieved in the history of the Girabola league.

Interclube were on 14th place when he joined them three months ago and have since led the club’s recovery after climbing to fifth position in the race.