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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter

DYNAMOS coach Tonderai Ndiraya says the Harare giants are not leaving anything to chance as they go out in search of maximum points against defending champions FC Platinum at Mandava tomorrow.

This will be the first competitive game for Dynamos in exactly two months since they last played a Castle Lager Premiership football match against Cranbourne Bullets, on December 19 last year, before the league was suspended for the festive holidays and the recent AFCON tournament held in Cameroon.

Ndiraya’s men, who had a bye when Premiership action resumed last weekend, find themselves on a tricky trip to Mandava where they have met with mixed fortunes over the last decade. Of course, FC Platinum have given DeMbare a good run for their money every time they visit Mandava. But Dynamos won 1-0 the last time they played there in 2019, to end a win-less jinx that had spread to seven years. This time around, Dynamos do not know exactly what to expect. Depending on how the platinum miners will conduct themselves, Dynamos are likely to either find their hosts in a mean mood or still flattened by the unpleasant 2-0 defeat they suffered at Bulawayo Chiefs last weekend. FC Platinum had a particularly bad outing, with their coach Norman Mapeza being shown a red card in a game that was also mired by controversy after Chiefs, at some point, played with 12 men on the pitch. The platinum miners did not take the defeat lightly and are likely to lodge a formal complaint with the domestic football authorities. “We are expecting a very difficult match from FC Platinum in all aspects,” said Dynamos coach Ndiraya.

“They are the home team and apart from that they lost in their previous match.

“Obviously they are going to change a lot of things and we expect that to change the attitude of the team altogether.

“We must also remember that these are the defending champions. They won the Chibuku Super Cup as well recently and all these qualities cannot just vanish overnight because of a single loss to Bulawayo Chiefs.

“They lost, it’s part of the game, but they still remain a very formidable side. We are not reading much into that loss,” said Ndiraya.

Dynamos and FC Platinum met for the first time earlier this season with the platinum miners running away 1-0 winners in the Chibuku Super Cup semi-finals at Baobab.

But a lot of changes have taken place since.

While Dynamos have beefed-up their squad with more than half dozen new acquisitions, FC Platinum have lost old horses like Silas Songani, Stanley Ngala, Rahman Kutsanzira, Kelvin Madzongwe, Donald Ngoma, Rodwell Chinyengetere, Denzel Khumalo, Donald Dzvinyai and Ralph Kawondera, in a surprise mass exodus.

“We are not reading much into the players that left FC Platinum, chief among them Ralph Kawondera, whom we also roped into our system.

“The fact of the matter is FC Platinum still have all the key players that played last year. All the players that featured in the Chibuku Super Cup semis against us are still there.

“That is their team. I guess they only released some fringe players except for Kelvin Madzongwe and to some extent Ralph Kawondera who played in some of their games. But largely their team is still intact.

“The team that won Chibuku Super Cup is still there and that makes them a very dangerous and difficult team to play against. But we have been preparing and we are prepared for the battle,” said Ndiraya.

Dynamos have made eight signings this window after taking on board ex-FC Platinum man Kawondera, Keith Murera, Brendon Mpofu, Evans Katema, Issa Sadiki as well as three foreigners that include two Ghanaians Emmanuel Paga and Martin Ofori; and Nigerian Alex Orotomal. The DeMbare management have been working round the clock to obtain the work permits to allow them to register their West African imports in time for the trip to Mandava.

“I think all the new recruits are available for selection except for only two who may not make it. But the office is running around to make sure that their paperwork is in place,” said Ndiraya.

Castle Lager Premiership Fixtures

 (All matches kick-off at 3pm)

Tomorrow: FC Platinum v Dynamos (Mandava), Chicken Inn v Bulawayo Chiefs (Luveve), Yadah v Black Rhinos (Baobab)

Sunday: Highlanders v WhaWha (Barbourfields), Herentals v Manica Diamonds (National Sports Stadium), Cranborne Bullets v ZPC Kariba (Baobab), Tenax v Bulawayo City (Sakubva), Triangle v Harare City (Gibbo)

Monday: CAPS United v Ngezi Platinum (National Sports Stadium)