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Eddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
CAPS United believe the reverse fixture of the Harare Derby on Sunday will prove that a dawn of a new era has broken at the Green Machine who are close to boosting their ranks by signing Dynamos midfielder Nicholas Alifandika.
Makepekepe won rave reviews for the way they battled their way to a 1-1 draw against DeMbare in the first Harare Derby at the National Sports Stadium two weeks ago.

However, the Green Machine were at the receiving end of a 0-1 defeat, at the hands of the ultimate enemy, in a NetOne OneWallet Cup quarter-final tie last Sunday.
On Sunday, CAPS United will be the away team, in the reverse fixture of the Harare Derby, and their camp believe they have the capacity to get a game-changing result.

“We are hard pressed. We are not crushed,” CAPS United board member, Lewis Uriri, said on Twitter.
“The Premiership return leg next Sunday will prove that a new dawn has broken.”

Uriri is part of a group of board members who have been trying not only to bring stability but also turn around the Green Machine into a major force once again.
The Harare lawyer once declared on Twitter that he would quit if CAPS United were not top of the table after 10 games into the championship race.

Although his team failed to meet those targets, Uriri was probably charmed by the fact that they had taken huge steps going forward and decided to stay.
CAPS United yesterday welcomed Alifandika and his Black Mambas teammate Honey Chimutimunzeve at their training session.

Coach Taurai Mangwiro also appears to have been charmed by former Moroka Swallows development team player Munyaradzi Shumba.
“I’m sure you have seen amongst us Nicholas Alifandika and Honey Chimutimunzeve, they are coming from Mambas.

“We hope to have them on board for the second round of fixtures and it’s in line with our vision to strengthen the team as well as to challenge for honours this season.
“We want to have a strong second half of the season. We will see how best we can incorporate them in our pool.

“There is also a boy who was playing with the Moroka Swallows development team. He is also with us and I thought he did very well on his first day.
“I must say he caught my eye. It’s always the first impression that i can have a much bigger impact on what one can do.

“But I must also say even the two guys Honey and Alifandika have fitted into the group and we can only look forward to a good working relationship with them. I am sure by end of day tomorrow (today) or early Thursday we should have a clear position with regards to the negotiations,” said Mangwiro.

CAPS United are right in the championship race.
“The challenge for us is to do better than the 27 points we have garnered in the first half of the season. I am sure if we manage to do that we will be in a very strong position come the end of the season.

“My worry was the poor away record that we had but we are now taking a lot of encouragement from the last two outings we had at home against Chiredzi and Chicken Inn,” said Mangwiro.

CAPS were sweating over the availability of club captain Tapiwa Kumbuyani for the reverse leg of the Harare Derby.
Kumbuyani took a knock on Sunday and had light training session when the team resumed preparations yesterday.

David Chipala, Dominic Chungwa and Zambian Madalitso Mwanza, who is still holed up in his home country, are also injury concerns.
Mangwiro said he was not rattled by the prospects of facing old rivals Dynamos in their third straight meeting this month.

“We just have to keep believing. I thought we were very unlucky to have lost that match because in terms of application, we applied ourselves well.
“I am sure the positives far outweighed the negatives from that match but at the end of the day it’s the result that matters. We were not good enough and we are only challenging ourselves to raise our game.

“We just have to keep believing. If I am to look at what has happened this year, we have beaten them once (in the ZNA Charities) and they also beat us in a Cup game, hence we are at par. So we are not fazed at all going into the last of the three consecutive matches,” said Mangwiro.

Fixtures
Friday
How Mine v Black Rhinos (Luveve)

Saturday
Chapungu v Triangle United (Ascot), Chicken Inn v ZPC Kariba (Luveve)

Sunday
Dynamos v CAPS United (National Sports Stadium, SS), Chiredzi v Buffaloes (Chishamiso), Bantu Rovers v Highlanders (Barbourfields) Shabanie Mine v FC Platinum (Maglas), Hwange v Harare City (Colliery)