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Erol Akbay

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
DEFENDING Castle Lager Premier Soccer League champions Chicken Inn and Highlanders will be hoping to get their players back in the groove when they clash in a friendly match at Luveve Stadium today.

Both teams’  players last played competitive matches a fortnight ago, with Highlanders losing 1-2 to Tsholotsho, while Chicken Inn beat How Mine 1-0.

Only second-placed FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum Stars were active last weekend in the Chibuku Super Cup final.

Ngezi Platinum wrote their own piece of history by winning a major trophy in their debut Premiership season after beating fellow platinum miners 3-1 in Mhondoro.

The PSL announced at the beginning of the week that they are postponing Week 29 fixtures to allow national team coach Callisto Pasuwa to select his preferred locally based players for the Warriors’ international friendly against Tanzania in Harare tomorrow.

Kudzai Bare, the PSL communications officer, said the league will not sanction matches likely to counter-attract the Warriors’ match against Tanzania.

“The only request we received for a friendly match was from Chicken Inn, who want to play Highlanders in a friendly match on Saturday. That game has been sanctioned and the league will not grant permission for friendly matches within or close to Harare to avoid counter-attraction to the national team,” Bare said.

Highlanders’ coach Erol Akbay is looking forward to the Chicken Inn game and has promised to field a strong side.

He said the match will give his players game time ahead of their crucial league encounter with FC Platinum in Zvishavane next week.

Bosso must win that game and hope Caps United drop points against Ngezi Platinum to keep their slim title hopes alive.

Highlanders are third on the table with 53 points, four behind leaders Caps United. A draw for Highlanders will effectively end their hopes of landing the title.

Even if the Bulawayo giants beat FC Platinum and Caps United win against Ngezi Platinum, the Green Machine will be crowned champions.

However, Akbay is not reading much into the championship matrix, but has his eyes glued on winning their next game.

“Obviously I’m happy that the club managed to arrange a friendly match against Chicken Inn because the break has affected our rhythm. Maybe on a positive side about the break is that we can get to recover and rework on our plan following that loss to Tsholotsho. We have to win our next game and hope Caps United drop points. Winning the game against FC Platinum is also important to us because we want to end the season strongly,” said Akbay.

Fifth placed Chicken Inn are targeting a top-four finish at the expense of Dynamos and said the request for the game against Highlanders will aid their cause.

“The coaches said they want to keep the boys match fit and we figured that Highlanders can give us the right competition. We hope the people of Bulawayo will come in their numbers to watch the game. Highlanders’ developmental side Bosso90 will be the main curtain raisers against Indlovu Iyanyathela, so it’s going to be an entertainment filled day,” said Tawengwa Hara, Chicken Inn’s secretary-general. — @ZililoR