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Dynamos, Highlanders meet in Charity Shield
MISSING IN ACTION: Tarumbwa misses Charity Shield
clash after moving to Belgium
By
Nkanyiso Moyo
HIGHLANDERS
will be without goalkeeper Washington Arubi and striker Obadiah Tarumbwa
when they meet Dynamos at Barbourfields Stadium in first leg of the
Nestle Zimbabwe Charity Shield on Sunday.
The Charity Shield is a curtain raiser to the new Premier Soccer League season which gets underway on March 9.
Arubi is still undergoing trials at South African Premier League club, Orlando Pirates, while striker Tarumbwa has joined Belgian Club Cercle Brugge on a six-month deal.
Highlanders get the first opportunity to test their strength against the defending league champions after splurging on new players.
Highlanders technical manager Methembe Ndlovu says the absence of his two star players will not be an excuse for losing to the old enemy.
“There is no need to look at the absent players. We have to work with those we have I believe that after two games, they are beginning to work as a team and that should help produce the results,” Ndlovu said.
“We need to keep working on the combinations, it’s too early to say how the players will perform, but with a lot more games, things should work out soon. We respect Dynamos… they beat us last year at home twice and they are the champions.”
Both teams have been active in the last two weeks -- Highlanders playing regional teams and Dynamos dusting up against domestic opposition.
Dynamos beat Eastern Region Division One side Eagles 1-0 and Douglas Warriors 3-0 on Sunday, while Highlanders drew 0-0 with South African Premiership club Black Leopards and beat Tafic of Botswana 3-2 on Saturday.
Both teams are preparing for their escapades in Africa -- Highlanders in the Confederations Cup and the champions in the Champions League, which get underway on 17 February.
The Bulawayo giants are at home to Ferroviario de Nampula of Mozambique in the first leg and Dynamos are away to Royal Leopards of Swaziland in the first leg.
Highlanders brought
in experienced defender Herbert Dick from Legia in Poland, Jacob Muzokomba
from Lancashire Steel, Irvine Tinarwo from Monomotapa,
Stephen Alumenda from Mwana Africa and Protasha Kabwe from Harare
United.
Skipper Gilbert Banda, Zephaniah Ngodzo, Richard Choruma, Wellington Sibanda and Anzilom Ndlovu are the most experienced players in the team. They, however, lost Thabani Moyo, Sautso Phiri, Ricky Sibiya and Admire Dzukamanja, while Givemore Manuella was put on the transfer list after failing to agree a new deal.
On the other hand, Dynamos stripped captain Justice Majabvi of his armband handed it to Murape Murape and managed to retain the services of the two as well as winger, Edward Sadomba.
Crucial to their
campaign is the defensive duo of William Mapfumo and Lovemore Mapuya.
They also added new faces in Farayi Vimisayi and Brighton Tuwaya from
Lancashire Steel and are still hoping to get Carrington Gomba from
Hwange.
Dynamos coach David Mandigora said: “It will obviously be a tough game and this is what we need -- a competitive match that will expose us and we work on those weak areas.
“I have a number of new players in the team and we are still working on some combinations and I hope everything will be fine by the time we go to Swaziland.”
Winners take home
$25 billion, losers $15 billion, plus $12.5 billion in appearance
fees, while the best player in the two games will take home $800 million
and the top goals scorer $1.5 billion.
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