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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
DESPITE being the most successful club in the Chibuku Super Cup since 2014, defending champions Harare City claim they are the underdogs heading into this weekend’s final against Triangle United in Chiredzi.

City, two-time winners in 2015 and 2017, will be making their fourth appearance in the Chibuku Super Cup final since 2014.

They lost 3-1 in a penalty shootout to FC Platinum in the 2014 final before Taurayi Mangwiro led them to victory the following season.

City missed the 2016 Chibuku Super Cup final, which was won by Ngezi Platinum Stars, who beat FC Platinum 3-1 at Baobab Stadium.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s final, City coach Mark Harrison stoked flames saying Triangle were at an advantage by playing at home.

“I think it’s going to be a good final, but I feel the match should have been played at a neutral venue being a final. We will go there as underdogs because Triangle United are already at an advantage by playing at home,” Harrison said.

What the Briton forgot is that City played all their cup games leading to the final at Rufaro Stadium; first beating Bulawayo City 1-0 in the first round, then dumping Highlanders out of the tournament with a 2-0 victory in the quarter-finals followed by a 2-1 win over Caps United in the semi-finals.

City have an experienced side that can effectively compete against Triangle at Gibbo, with lads such as goalkeeper Maxwell Nyamupanedengu, defender Munyaradzi Diro-Nyenye, midfielder Tendai Samanja and the striking duo of William Manondo and Martin Vengesayi, who all won the cup twice with the municipal club.

Triangle coach Mangwiro, who side had a slow start in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League race, will aim to cap a fine season’s performance with a trophy in the club’s cabinet.

This will be a major cup win for Triangle in their six years in the topflight.

For Mangwiro, the final presents him with an opportunity to bag his second Chibuku Super Cup winner’s medal and also punish his former paymasters for firing him in the early stages of the 2016 season.

Triangle will be making their first appearance in a cup final and needed a 4-1 penalty shootout win against Shabanie Mine to secure passage into the quarter-finals.

They went on to hammer Nichrut 5-1 in the quarter-finals before travelling to Harare to deliver a 2-1 body blow on struggling giants Dynamos in the semi-finals. — @ZililoR