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Ishemunyoro ChingwereZimbabwean football champions Dynamos begin their quest for continental honours with a date against Botswana’s Mochudi Centre Chiefs in the preliminary round, first leg tie of the Orange African Champions League at the National Sports Stadium in Harare today.
The Glamour Boys are eager to make an impression, having failed to make it to the lucrative mini league in the past three editions.
By far the most successful local club, coach Kallisto Pasuwa’s men have flattered to deceive on the continental stage and the team’s leadership has made it clear that international success is this season’s priority.
Laden with talent underlined by eight internationals who gallantly stormed the semi-finals of the recently concluded Chan tournament with the Warriors, a sense of belief abounds at DeMbare that this might be the year of reckoning, beginning with the game against neighbouring Botswana’s champions this afternoon.
DeMbare have in the past editions plunged into the jungles of continental football with a weakened squad as their title-winning side gets dismantled by the lure of foreign contracts, but this time only defender Gift Bello, who has joined FC Platinum, is the major absentee.
Having guided the club to three domestic titles and fattened the club’s trophy cabinet, Pasuwa is now eager for a fairytale run in Africa and engrave his name where Sunday Chidzambwa and David Mandigora’s are found, having guided the club to the finals and semi finals of the premier club tourney in 1998 and 2008 respectively.
“It is my dream to do well in this tournament than I have done before and probably reach the mini league stage like those before us.“It’s something natural that one always aims to better their previous achievements and I have been doing a lot of research with this in mind.
“But it is not about me or the technical team as an isolated entity, team goals come before everything and the former should always dovetail with the latter,” said the triple league-winning coach.
As he prepares for the challenge from the Serbian Dragojlo Stanojlovic-coached side, Pasuwa is sweating over the availability of the exciting Tafadzwa “Fire” Rusike, who is battling a muscle strain and will have to pass a late fitness test today for a role in the middle of the park where competition is so intense that not even the league’s best player, Tawanda Muparati, is guaranteed a start.
Big goalie George Chigova, who missed out on the Chan ’keeper of the tournament award despite his convincing show, is still to get over his groin worries, but is set to start nonetheless, while gunslinger Simba Sithole, who is also carrying a knock, is a major doubt.
With the Botswana Be-Mobile league in full swing, and Chiefs just two points off the pace, there is no doubt as to who takes to the field in the best physical shape and this is where Pasuwa reckons his international players will come in handy.
“They (Chiefs) obviously have an upper hand in terms of fitness, but this is where we expect the guys who were on national duty to be helpful. “But all these factors must be thrown through the window because we still need a healthy result regardless of circumstances.
“We must approach this match with the seriousness it deserves and never be tempted to underrate them because the game is changing and upsets are now commonplace,” Pasuwa said.
Dragojlo is sweating over the availability of forward Kekaetswe Moloi, who rejoined the Gaborone-based side after finding the going tough at Polokwane City FC in the South African premiership.
Speaking to journalists soon after touching down at the Harare International Airport, the Serbian coach denied the underdogs tag going into the match and said his charges had a fair chance of winning.
“I have not had the opportunity to watch Dynamos, but from what I hear from colleagues, they are a very good team technically and physically.“We both have equal chances of progressing to the next round.
“Dynamos are not in any way favourites and have an equal opportunity as us so we will give it our best. They will have pressure because they are playing at home and we will not be reading much into Dynamos’ record achievements in Zimbabwean football,” said Dragojlo, whose travelling party includes five national team players in addition to the Zimbabwean duo of defender Arnold Chaka and midfielder Elvis Meleka.
Probable Dynamos line-up
G Chigova, O Machapa, O Mushure, P Jaure, T Ndlovu, S Alimenda, T Muparati, R Chitiyo, M Mambare, R Madamombe, S Sithole. Subs: T Rusike, S Linyama, A Mukandi, V Kamhuka, C Sekete, W Pakamisa and M Murape.
Article publié le mardi 2 décembre 2014
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