Sports / Local
Bosso's dream of a league and cup double faces Triangle test
12 Nov 2013 at 17:16hrs | Views
Sports Reporter
TRIANGLE United will troop into Barbourfields Stadium for their Castle Lager Premier Soccer League encounter against Highlanders seeking nothing short of victory.
League action resumes after a week-long break to allow the semi-finals of the Mbada Diamonds Cup to be played that saw Bulawayo teams Highlanders and How Mine proceeding to the final.
The Lowveld-based side have been playing well of late and that perhaps is the reason coach Gishon Ntini believes they can inflict defeat on the Bulawayo giants and effectively end their dream of a league and cup double.
Bosso are third on the log standings, three points behind Dynamos and Harare City with just three matches to go before the season wraps up.
"We prepared well for the match, there is nothing special about Highlanders and our sole mission is to collect maximum points and we believe we can achieve that, nothing is impossible," said Ntini.
He welcomes back tough defender Norman Togara who missed their 2-2 draw against Dynamos.
Confidence is high in camp hence their impressive showing up to this stage.
Triangle have lost only once in their last 15 games, the 1-3 loss to Buffaloes away at Sakubva Stadium.
However, they come up against a side that is highly motivated following their morale boosting 5-3 penalty shootout win over Harare City that propelled them into their first ever major cup final since Kelvin Kaindu took over the coaching responsibilities at the club.
The dream of a league and cup double is much more alive now.
The match will be the third time the two teams are meeting this season with Bosso winning on both occasions.
The first clash was at Gibbo Stadium in a league match that saw Highlanders winning 2-1 while their coach Kaindu was ejected from the bench after remonstrating with the referee.
The second meeting was the Mbada Diamonds Cup first round match at Barbourfields Stadium, won 3-2 by the Bulawayo giants.
Highlanders have to worry about the former Tsholotsho Pirates forward Pasca Manhanga who caused all sorts of anxious moments for the Highlanders rearguard while Misheck Mburayi, offloaded by Highlanders in 2011, is enjoying a rich vein of form and certainly wants to prove that offloading him was a huge mistake.
Coach Kaindu is likely to start with the same team that started the second half at Mandava Stadium save for the suspended Njabulo Ncube who returns to the stands as he serves his last suspension match following the red card flashed on him during the Dynamos encounter on 27 October.
Goalkeeper Munyaradzi Diya will guard the posts once again while veteran skipper Innocent Mapuranga could be partnered by Eric Mudzingwa unless gangly Dumisani Ndlovu recovers from injury.
Mthulisi Maphosa, used as an impact player in the early part of the season, was a pale shadow of himself at Mandava Stadium and even failed to chase back whenever he lost possession.
With him poor at recovery, a problem which at times haunts leftback Bruce Kangwa, Triangle could exploit that though Maphosa looks better playing as an attacking midfielder.
Winger Masimba Mambare is likely to start as well but needs to find a solution to lack of balance as more often of late he falls while in possession. At Mandava Stadium he fell seven times inside the first 20 minutes.
TRIANGLE United will troop into Barbourfields Stadium for their Castle Lager Premier Soccer League encounter against Highlanders seeking nothing short of victory.
League action resumes after a week-long break to allow the semi-finals of the Mbada Diamonds Cup to be played that saw Bulawayo teams Highlanders and How Mine proceeding to the final.
The Lowveld-based side have been playing well of late and that perhaps is the reason coach Gishon Ntini believes they can inflict defeat on the Bulawayo giants and effectively end their dream of a league and cup double.
Bosso are third on the log standings, three points behind Dynamos and Harare City with just three matches to go before the season wraps up.
"We prepared well for the match, there is nothing special about Highlanders and our sole mission is to collect maximum points and we believe we can achieve that, nothing is impossible," said Ntini.
He welcomes back tough defender Norman Togara who missed their 2-2 draw against Dynamos.
Confidence is high in camp hence their impressive showing up to this stage.
Triangle have lost only once in their last 15 games, the 1-3 loss to Buffaloes away at Sakubva Stadium.
However, they come up against a side that is highly motivated following their morale boosting 5-3 penalty shootout win over Harare City that propelled them into their first ever major cup final since Kelvin Kaindu took over the coaching responsibilities at the club.
The dream of a league and cup double is much more alive now.
The match will be the third time the two teams are meeting this season with Bosso winning on both occasions.
The first clash was at Gibbo Stadium in a league match that saw Highlanders winning 2-1 while their coach Kaindu was ejected from the bench after remonstrating with the referee.
The second meeting was the Mbada Diamonds Cup first round match at Barbourfields Stadium, won 3-2 by the Bulawayo giants.
Highlanders have to worry about the former Tsholotsho Pirates forward Pasca Manhanga who caused all sorts of anxious moments for the Highlanders rearguard while Misheck Mburayi, offloaded by Highlanders in 2011, is enjoying a rich vein of form and certainly wants to prove that offloading him was a huge mistake.
Coach Kaindu is likely to start with the same team that started the second half at Mandava Stadium save for the suspended Njabulo Ncube who returns to the stands as he serves his last suspension match following the red card flashed on him during the Dynamos encounter on 27 October.
Goalkeeper Munyaradzi Diya will guard the posts once again while veteran skipper Innocent Mapuranga could be partnered by Eric Mudzingwa unless gangly Dumisani Ndlovu recovers from injury.
Mthulisi Maphosa, used as an impact player in the early part of the season, was a pale shadow of himself at Mandava Stadium and even failed to chase back whenever he lost possession.
With him poor at recovery, a problem which at times haunts leftback Bruce Kangwa, Triangle could exploit that though Maphosa looks better playing as an attacking midfielder.
Winger Masimba Mambare is likely to start as well but needs to find a solution to lack of balance as more often of late he falls while in possession. At Mandava Stadium he fell seven times inside the first 20 minutes.
Source - chronicle
