Sweswe taunts Caps Lloyd Chitembwe
Lloyd Chitembwe

Lloyd Chitembwe

Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
ZPC Kariba defender Thomas Sweswe says they are highly motivated ahead of their Castle Lager Premiership showdown against CAPS United at Rufaro this afternoon. The Kariba side last year collected four points from the Green Machine. But a lot has changed since midfielder Raphael Manuvire made it his business to score against the Harare giants with a goal in a 1-1 draw in Harare before he returned to haunt the visitors at Nyamhunga where he scored in a 2-1 win.

Manuvire is now at Harare City and Makepekepe have only lost once in the league this season and only twice since Lloyd Chitembwe returned as coach. One of those defeats was against ZPC Kariba.

Yesterday, Sweswe, the former Dynamos and Kaizer Chiefs defender, who is missing today’s action because of a family bereavement after losing his sister, said his teammates were highly motivated.

“It is a very big game for us. Obviously, the guys know what is at stake and are very motivated as they face CAPS United. “We are not thinking about last season’s results, that is history now and this is new game. We are facing a team which is doing very well, but we are going for maximum points and not looking at what they are doing.

“The team is still rebuilding and we are still a new team with combinations coming up. We are just taking each game as it comes and not reading much in the way we are performing week in and week out.”

Sweswe said they may receive a backlash from the Green Machine who are yet to lose a match at home and were handed their first defeat last week against How Mine despite a strong second half performance.

“Football is a funny game. They lost last week and you never know as it could start a losing streak or they may win against us,” he said. Sweswe joins Wisdom Mutasa and Leonard Fiyado on the sidelines with the duo still nursing injuries.

CAPS United will be hoping to maintain their unbeaten run at home this season and today they will be home away from home as they have switched to Rufaro for this particular match because of international commitments at the giant stadium.

The Green Machine, though, have fond memories of their last visit to Rufaro when they won their first Harare Derby by beating Dynamos for the first time in a league match in seven years. Chitembwe has made some changes to the team which came stuck at Luveve last weekend.

“We are looking forward to doing well in this game and last week I thought the boys did very well, especially in the second half and there are a lot of very good things we observed as coaches from the second half, so we just hope to continue from where we left in that second half.

“Last week, we were surrendering possession in very crucial areas, but during the course of the week I saw an improvement in that aspect and we are happy with the way we prepared for this game.

“ZPC Kariba are a very good team and are being coached by an iconic coach, very good coach, so obviously it is not going to be an easy game, they have been doing well in recent games so it is obviously going to be a very good game, especially for spectators,” said Chitembwe.

Fixtures
Today: FC Platinum v Border Strikers (Mandava), Tsholotsho v Dynamos (Barbourfields), Chapungu v Ngezi Platinum Stars (Ascot), CAPS United v ZPC Kariba (Rufaro).

Tomorrow: Mutare City Rovers v Chicken Inn (Sakubva), Triangle United v Bulawayo City (Gibbo), Hwange v How Mine (Colliery), Highlanders v Harare City (Barbourfields).

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