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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE upcoming Chicken Inn FC versus Ngezi Platinum Stars FC Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final match can aptly be referred to as the tournament’s final before the final because of the quality the two clubs possess.

They both bossed their groups with ease, save for Ngezi Platinum Stars’ 1-2 loss to FC Platinum in the last group match.

Chicken Inn finished top of Group B with 12 points, two ahead of Highlanders who will face FC Platinum.

For Ngezi Platinum Stars, finishing second to FC Platinum didn’t give them sleepless nights, as they took it to be a tutorial for perfecting their side in preparation for the Castle Lager Premiership race.

With seasoned players like former national team                                                                                                                       captain Denver Mukamba and Devon Chafa, the Mhondoro-based outfit also dreams of claiming the Chibuku Super Cup.

“We’re in the competition to win it. As much as we’re in the quarter-finals, our target is progressing to the next stage.

It won’t be easy because Chicken Inn are a good side, but we’re focused and as an organised club we believe they’ll give us the real test we need in our preparations for the league championship.

“We’re fortunate that we’ve played the league defending champions FC Platinum as they gave us a clear view of what to expect when the season starts.

We face Chicken Inn, which is a blessing because they were league runners-up in 2019, so we expect them to give us another dimension of what to expect when the league starts.

So, in essence, we’re ready for Chicken Inn as they will give us a real challenge and a cause to self-introspect,” said Rodwell Dhlakama, Ngezi Platinum Stars coach.

The platinum side intends to use the Chibuku Super Cup games to fortify their squad as they still have six players’ registration slots.

“We are an ambitious side and so far so good. We had a good run in the Chibuku Super Cup. I’ll be lying if I say we don’t dream of winning the championship because any coach would love to win that.

The squad composition is good, we’re almost there in terms of fitness but we still have six slots that need to be filled.

“The reason we left these slots was so that we beef our squad and plug the holes we would have seen during the Chibuku Super Cup,” said Dhlakama.

The much-travelled coach, who has had stints in Swaziland, is targeting youngsters.

“Obviously as a coach I’m never satisfied. I don’t want my players to rest on their laurels, so I’ll be diplomatic and say I want quality players for the six slots; those who will make sure that when they come in, they are not benchwarmers, but potential starters.

This means we are hunting for players for all departments,” Dhlakama said. — @ZililoR