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Tedious Manyepo Sports Reporter

PREMIERSHIP log anchors Border Strikers will officially kiss goodbye to top-flight football if they fail to beat struggling Mutare City in the two team’s duel set for Sakubva this afternoon.Border Strikers have a measly 14 points, eight behind their opponents today, whom they should beat at all cost to keep their hopes alive.

Mutare City, who are third from bottom, only two points ahead of Tsholotsho, know that any slip-up on their part could jeopardise their survival prospects especially if Tsholotsho pick a win at home against Chapungu.

But the Manicaland team’s coach Takura Shariwa, whose team was docked three points after using a suspended player in one of their recent fixtures, believes Mutare City are in the league to stay.

“I do acknowledge that our game against Border Strikers will be one of the toughest. Border Strikers are almost out of the league but they are dangerous in the sense that they still have that slender mathematical chance of surviving and they will only survive at our expense.

“So we are not going to allow that to happen.

“We will make sure that we win the match by even a wider margin so that if we are to draw on points against our survival rivals Tsholotsho, we will still survive,” he said.

Border Strikers have since replaced coach Never Malunga with the nomadic Luke ‘Vahombe’ Masomere.

Both Underhill and Tripple B were relegated in the first seasons they were elevated to the top-flight.

Chapungu need to win their match at Luveve against Tsholotsho this afternoon to be assured of safety.

Coach John Nyikadzino is confident his team has the pedigree to withstand the heat and will ultimately survive the chop.

“Chapungu are too seasoned to be relegated especially considering the position we are in at the moment.

“It is only talk but practically we can even end the season in the top six.

“We will obviously try to concentrate and bag the maximum points against Tsholotsho.

“Hopefully we will also win all our remaining matches,” said Nyikadzino.