Bosso, Dynamos clash

IT'S Uhuru time again and fittingly, two of the country's biggest and oldest clubs - Dynamos and Highlanders - will once again square off in the Independence final that will be the   climax of festivities to mark Zimbabwe's 33rd anniversary at the National Sports Stadium this afternoon.

After having met for the first time this year in the two-legged Bob 89 Super Cup, which Dynamos convincingly won 6-1 on aggregate, the two giants, conspicuous by their absence in the NetOne Charity Shield, will face off again seeking to have the Independence Cup in their trophy cabinet.

Bosso were at home for the first leg of the Bob Super Cup but fell 2-1 at fortress Barbourfields before Kelvin Kaindu's men found the going even tougher in the reverse tie at Rufaro where Dynamos turned on the power to win 4-0.

Today's Uhuru final will also serve as a   harbinger for the giants' Castle Lager Premiership showdown at Rufaro on Sunday.

Highlanders are the oldest established club in the Premiership after being founded in 1926 and boast of seven league titles while Dynamos who are celebrating their Golden Jubilee this year have a record 19 championships.

Befittingly the two giants of domestic football who fought a close battle for the Premiership title last season have been invited to play at the country's 33rd Independence Day main celebrations by virtue of having finished first and second in the championship race.

Dynamos will arrive at the National Sports Stadium aiming for their seventh Uhuru Cup while Bosso are sitting on five Independence Cup titles.

Both Dynamos and Highlanders are coming into this afternoon's match with their heads down and tails between their legs after failing to win their respective league assignments last weekend.

Highlanders who had been unbeaten in three starts were left stunned after 10-man Motor Action upstaged them 1-0 at Barbourfields while Dynamos' indifferent start to the defence of their Premiership title continued when they were held to 0-0 draw by Triangle at Rufaro.

While the loss to the Mighty Bulls might have been viewed as a blip by the Bosso camp, it was a different tale in their rivals camp as the draw against Triangle was their fourth in as many games and it set alarm bells ringing in the huge DeMbare family.

That result also deeply divided opinion at Dynamos and forced the club's executive to demand answers to some questions from coach Callisto Pasuwa

While a militant section within the executive and the Dynamos board is understood to have tried to get Pasuwa fired, sanity prevailed when Dynamos chairman Kenny Mubaiwa revealed that the reigning Premiership Coach of the Year's job was safe, at least for now.

But Pasuwa is aware that the pressure cooker is boiling and another defeat could be a time bomb as daggers have already been sharpened after the Harare giants' poor start to the season.

It's a tricky situation for Pasuwa today as he could opt to throw in a couple of players who had been struggling to shake off injuries or failing to get game time and reserve some of his stars for the Battle of Zimbabwe league encounter.

DeMbare's coaches and players know they have to win at least one of their back to back clashes against Bosso to appease their demanding fans and also halt the rising tide of pressure. Dynamos team manager Richard Chihoro, however declared his troops ready for the Uhuru Cup assignment and revealed that some of the players such as Clive Kawinga who have been sidelined by long term injuries had resumed training.

"We are ready for this match and we are happy that some of our players who have been injured have been training today.

"Zekumbawira (Franscisco) and Clive (Kawinga) managed to train and hopefully they could be able to play and I can say that we are ready for this match," said Chihoro.

Bulldozing forward Patrick Khumbula who struck a brace against Bosso at Rufaro in the Bob Super Cup should also be fancying a repeat of that feat.

Chihoro, however admitted that a lot has changed since their last meeting with Bosso and the DeMbare team manager is bracing for a tougher afternoon at the National Sports Stadium.

"We do not know what Highlanders have planned for us or are thinking for this match but we are well prepared on our side.

"It's crucial to win this game and boost morale in the camp and I know both teams will be seeking to get pointers for the game on Sunday," said Chihoro.

Pasuwa could use this match to test rookie goalkeeper Tendai Mukuruva and afford more game time to central defenders Sydney Linyama and Morris Kadzola who are yet to taste league action because of a stand-off over their clearances between Dynamos and the pair of Chicken Inn and Motor Action.

Congolese national Jeremy who just like Kadzola and Linyama is still waiting to have his league papers formalised could also be given a run.

Highlanders skipper Innocent Mapuranga yesterday hinted that the Bulawayo giants are ready to pull themselves up from the defeat against Motor Action. "In football each team will be judged by the performance on the particular day. "We might have lost heavily to Dynamos on our previous visit to Harare but this is a different game," said Mapuranga.

Bosso left the City of Kings yesterday afternoon and will remain camped in Harare until the league match on Sunday.

"We will be playing Dynamos again at the weekend but our immediate focus is on this (Uhuru Cup) game we are playing first.

"As Highlanders we have to remain focused in every game and be able to give maximum performance whether it's a cup, league or friendly game," said Mapuranga.

Kaindu said that he may not want to reveal much of his squad for the league game and could field a couple of rookies while giving his battle-hardened players a rest. "We might give other players who have not been playing a chance to play especially since we are meeting the same team a few days later," Kaindu said.

Highlanders are boosted by the return of goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda while Mtulisi Maphosa, Peter Moyo, Masimba Mambare, Graham Ncube and Eric Mudzingwa could also feature alongside Mapuranga in the game.