Caps primed for glory?
Sp1

Dominic Chungwa

Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
REVITALISED CAPS United have a grand chance to take a hugely significant leap towards Dreamland on Sunday and all they might need, to free themselves from the yoke of domination by rivals Dynamos, could just be a goal in the Harare Derby.Not since Nyasha Mushekwi’s superb double powered them to a 2-0 win at Rufaro in April 2009, the last time CAPS United won the Harare Derby, has the Green Machine gone into this flagship contest primed not only to take on their big rivals toe-to-toe but in great shape to win the battle.

The Green Machine have not only lost all their last eight Premiership matches against Dynamos — in a period stretching four league championships — but they have watched from a distance, united by a collective sense of revulsion, as their big rivals picked three straight league titles.

Makepekepe are not walking alone, in trying to find a formula to end DeMbare’s dominance over them, as Highlanders are also wondering what they need to do, after an eight-year wait, and the issue dominated Bosso’s extraordinary meeting at their club house on Sunday.

A Highlanders’ member, Arthur Maphosa, suggested that his team needs to perform some rituals, every time they are about to face Dynamos, for them to finally gain the strength to beat their big rivals in a league match.

“Surely, we need to do something about this, we cannot continue losing to Dynamos year-in-and-year-out,” Maphosa thundered at the indaba.

“I think it’s now in the minds of the players that Dynamos will always beat us, let us as a club do something to change the mindset because, to some of us, it’s not worth celebrating the league title if we would have failed to beat Dynamos.”

Bosso have already lost their first duel against DeMbare this year, the only match they have lost in 14 league games, but CAPS United will get their first chance, this season, to end that nightmare at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday in a Harare Derby showdown that appears too balanced to call.

Interestingly, in the past three years when Dynamos have been champions, CAPS United have lost the first match of the Harare Derby by a similar scoreline (0-1) and, maybe, all that the Green Machine needs for a change of fortunes could just be a goal on Sunday.

CAPS United players, just as feared by the Bosso member, appear to carry the weight of a psychological burden that they cannot score against Dynamos and that has been well and truly pronounced since Callisto Pasuwa took over as coach of the Glamour Boys.

In four Harare Derby battles in the league, the Green Machine have failed to score against their big rivals — stretching over two years and 360 minutes — and when you include the two Mbada Diamonds Cup matches they played and lost, it brings the head-to-head matches to SIX GAMES, SIX DEFEATS AND NO GOAL for Makepekepe.

But CAPS United found way to beat Dynamos, in a ZNA Charity Shield semi-final this year, with Dominic Mukandi scoring a beauty, and that should open a window of hope for their fans that their team could do it in the matches that matter — either in the league or the major tournaments like the Mbada Diamonds Cup.

Refreshingly, the Green Machine come into the Harare Derby on Sunday boasting a strikeforce, which has outperformed the DeMbare forwardline by a country mile, having scored 18 goals, in their 14 league matches, while the Glamour Boys have scored just 13 at a rate of just under one goal per game this season.

Dominic Chungwa has led the line well, for the Green Machine, but the Harare Derby, in the past two years, has proved a different game altogether for the CAPS United players and the fact that they have failed to score, in any of the league matches, tells its own story.

But one gets a feeling that if there is any CAPS United side, which could provide that breakthrough win for the Green Machine to end this lengthy fruitless search for a victory against DeMbare, then this is the squad that has the capacity to do that.

They come into this contest bubbling with confidence, after a four-game winning streak in which they ended their poor form away from home with two wins in Chiredzi and in Bulawayo, and they have turned the National Sports Stadium into their fortress where they are unbeaten in a league match this season.

It’s the first time, since CAPS United’s last win over Dynamos five years ago, that the Green Machine are coming into the Harare Derby having won four matches on the trot and last year their confidence had been deflated, going into this game, with two losses in their last three league matches.

Interestingly, just like last season, the two big rivals meet, in the first edition of the Harare Derby, having the same number of points as both CAPS United and Dynamos were locked on 15 points, ahead of their showdown, which was the 10th league match of the campaign.

DeMbare were unbeaten but had dropped too many points with six draws while the Green Machine were having a mixed season with their five wins laced with four losses.

But, once again, it was Dynamos who triumphed.

Two years ago, CAPS United came into the Harare Derby having won four games and drawn one of their last five while DeMbare were limping having won two, drawn two and lost once.

But, even though the Green Machine were the form team, they still lost that game 0-1.

Three years ago, CAPS United came into the Harare Derby with a better points tally (21) compared to Dynamos (19) but, at the end of the contest, the scoreline had a familiar reading — 1-0 to DeMbare.

Maybe, the first task for CAPS United, who impressed in their last encounter with some beautiful goals from Hardlife Zvirekwi and Moses Muchenje, would just be to get a goal, any kind of goals, because, just doing that, would signal a change.

And, hopefully in their case, for the better.

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