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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
FANS hoping to watch the epic Chicken Inn and Dynamos Castle Lager Premiership clash should up their budget after the Gamecocks were given the nod to hike gate charges for Sunday’s game at Barbourfields Stadium.

Those intending to watch the game from the rest of the ground will part with $5, up from $3, with the wings’ charges doubled to $10, while the VIP enclosure will be $15.

The 2015 league champions want to maximise on the high-profile encounter to boost their coffers by hiking gate charges.

With Dynamos on a purple patch that has seen them winning six consecutive matches, a good turnout is expected at Barbourfields.

“Look, this is one of our biggest games and as such we have to cash in. Raising the gate charges is all about generating income and we hope the football loving fans from Bulawayo and other areas will come in their numbers for quality entertainment. Look, both teams are within the championship mix and as such, quality and an entertaining game are guaranteed.

“As always, there’ll be strict controls of people entering the stadium. Unless a person has a privilege card, no one will be allowed free entry. This is all in the spirit of realising as much revenue as possible so that the club can meet its financial obligations,” said Tawengwa Hara, Chicken Inn’s secretary-general.

Dynamos are second on the league table with 29 points, two behind leaders Ngezi Platinum Stars, and will be out to stretch their winning streak to seven successive league matches on Sunday.

DeMbare last lost a league game on May 18 when they fell 0-1 to new comers Black Rhinos.

The Harare giants have a good away record this season and are yet to lose in all their seven away games, including the pending Chapungu verdict for their abandoned match at Gweru’s Ascot Stadium.

The encounter was abandoned in the 56th minute when a goalpost collapsed, with Dynamos leading 4-0, courtesy of goals from Christian Epoupa, Denver Mukamba and an Emmanuel Mandiranga brace.

In other away games, Dynamos drew 2-2 with Triangle United, edged Hwange, Yadah FC, Harare City and Tsholotsho FC by identical 1-0 score lines.

In their last visit to Bulawayo on May 14, Dynamos played 42 minutes of an explosive encounter against traditional rivals Highlanders at Barbourfields before the game was abandoned due to crowd trouble.

The PSL disciplinary tribunal awarded Dynamos the match on a 3-0 score line and ordered Bosso to pay a $4 000 fine as well as costs of the hearing by July 31, 2017.

It is their impressive away form and recent performances that have seen Dynamos fancing their chances of extending their winning run to eight games on Sunday.

They should, however, expect a tough encounter as Chicken Inn are no pushovers.

They are also bubbling with confidence despite their six-game winning streak ending in a 0-2 loss to Chapungu last weekend.

The Gamecocks are in fourth place and tied on 28 points with Black Rhinos after 15 games.

A victory for the Bulawayo side will take their points tally to 31, two more than Dynamos.

The opportunity to move up the table should inspire Chicken Inn players to give it their best shot.

History favours Chicken Inn to win the encounter, having won four out of their 12 league games since their debut season in 2011. Dynamos have won three of those encounters, with five meetings ending in draws. In their past six meetings in Bulawayo, Dynamos only won once, 1-0 in 2016, and have played to three draws against and lost twice, 1-0 in 2012 and 3-0 last season.

The players to watch for Dynamos on Sunday are winger Mandiranga, Mukamba and Epoupa, while Chicken Inn will bank on defenders Guide Goddard, Moses Jackson, Passmore Bernard and Divine Lunga.

Chicken Inn also have gritty defensive midfielder Thabani Goredema, seasoned midfielder Clemence Matawu and striker Darryl Nyandoro to bank on.

Obadiah Tarumbwa, who scored a brace when Chicken Inn beat Dynamos 3-0 last year, has slim chances of playing on Sunday as he has fallen down the pecking order behind Nyandoro, Ishmael Lawe and Thomas Kadyaridzire.