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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter 

SIX teams are fighting to finish in the top four as the league enters its penultimate round of action this weekend.

FC Platinum have already won the league while Chicken Inn and Dynamos are racing for the second place finish with only two games to the season’s end. 

Chicken Inn are in second position with 59 points while Dynamos are third with 57 points. 

Ngezi Platinum are occupying fourth position with 51 points, six ahead of Bulawayo Chiefs in sixth position. 

Chiefs, Herentals and Black Rhinos are all on 45 points and can only finish the league on 51 points, the same as Ngezi at this stage. However, for Chiefs, Herentals and Rhinos to sneak into fourth position, Ngezi Platinum has to lose its last two matches by very big margins while any of the three scores big. Madamburo have a healthy goal difference of 22, the second highest for this season after FC Platinum’s 35.

The race for the top four is likely to provide some excitement as the league reaches the finishing mark.

Ngezi Platinum are a point ahead of Highlanders in fifth place. Triangle also trail Highlanders. 

 Bosso have not achieved a top-four finish since 2016. Dutchman Erol Akbay was the Bosso coach when they finished third with 56 points in 2016 behind FC Platinum in second place and that season’s champions Caps United. 

Highlanders will host relegation-haunted ZPC Kariba in the penultimate round of the season before completing their campaign at Harare City who are similarly fighting relegation.

Ngezi Platinum, who finished fourth in 2017 face Manica Diamonds away in Week 33 before closing their season at home against already relegated Whawha. 

Triangle’s last two matches of the season will be against champions FC Platinum at Gibbo and away at Chicken Inn.

At the bottom end, ZPC Kariba are now just two points ahead of Bulawayo City who need to go above the electricity generators to survive relegation.

 City occupy the last relegation slot which is position 15 while ZPC Kariba who are in 14th position have accumulated 35 points from 32 outings. All Bulawayo City now need to do is win their remaining two fixtures and pray ZPC Kariba falter.

Bulawayo City face Harare City who are third from bottom with 29 points. Bosso could do their “little brother” a favour by taking care of Kauya Katuruturu at Emagumeni provided Amakhosi would have also done the job against the Sunshine City Boys a day before at the same venue.

Fixtures

Friday: Yadah v Chicken Inn (National Sports Stadium)

Saturday: Caps United v Bulawayo Chiefs (National Sports Stadium), Cranborne Bullets v Tenax (Vengere Stadium), Bulawayo City v Harare City (Barbourfields Stadium), Whawha v Black Rhinos ( Ascot Stadium)

Sunday: Manica Diamonds v Ngezi Platinum (Sakubva Stadium), Triangle v FC Platinum (Gibbo Stadium), Highlanders v ZPC Kariba (Barbourfields Stadium), Herentals v Dynamos (National Sports Stadium)-@innocentskizoe